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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26599021">Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Rewrite</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hufflechamp5573/pseuds/hufflechamp5573'>hufflechamp5573</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harry Potter Rewrites [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Canon Rewrite, F/M, Gen, Rewrite</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:28:38</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>35,649</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26599021</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hufflechamp5573/pseuds/hufflechamp5573</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>What if James and Lily Potter had not died? What if someone else had sacrificed their life to save Harry's? Welcome to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 2.0, set in a parallel timeline where James and Lily Potter survive and characters are diverse.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>James Potter/Lily Evans Potter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Harry Potter Rewrites [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1934968</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Boy Who Lived</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mr. and Mrs. Potter, of number eight, Godric’s Hallow, were proud to say that they weren’t normal, thank you very much. They were the first people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t seem to be able to sit out of an adventure.</p><p>Mr. Potter, in particular, was not known to sit still for very long, especially when his best friends had anything to do with it. He was a tall, lanky young man with soft brown skin and dark hair, that like its owner never seemed to want to behave. He wore square glasses, that made his hazel eyes pop, and which he could barely see without.  Mrs. Potter was only a few inches shorter than her husband but was quite different in all other aspects. She had pale freckled skin with dark red hair that fell just past her shoulders and, when not pulled into a braid, was neatly combed. Mrs. Potter had bright green eyes which usually were soft and kind, but they could also shut down her husband’s and his friends’ ridiculous schemes with one look. The Potters had a young son whom they called Harry, and, in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere.</p><p>James and Lily Potter had everything they wanted and tried their best to live normal, well, their definition of normal, lives, but this was difficult when everyone knew their names. Their neighbors were quite ordinary people, so that helped a bit, however, the extraordinary events of the past year did not help.</p><p>It had been an ordinary day in their lives, which were quite dreary at the time, when everything changed. The Potters were in hiding for quite some time due to a terrible war raging in their world. Several of their friends had gone missing mysteriously or were found dead, which made their time in hiding much worse. James took being forced to stay in their house the worst, as he was never one to follow the rules or sit still for that matter. However, he knew that staying in hiding was what was best for his wife and son.</p><p>Their little family was being hunted, hunted by a power-hungry monster that everyone called “He who must not be named” or “You-Know-Who” because of the fear that his name struck into so many hearts. One of his many followers had overheard something that was intended only for the people fighting for good were supposed to hear. Information that greatly endangered the Potter family, more specifically, their son. Rumors were passed around that You-Know-Who himself was hunting the Potter family. Therefore, aside from their neighbors, very few people who knew their whereabouts.</p><p>One of their neighbors, an elderly woman named Bathilda Bagshot, often kept them company. They grew very close over time, Bathilda becoming much like a grandmother to young Harry. She’d often watch Harry to give his parents some alone time and she grew to love the little boy very much. James’ best friend, Sirius Black, was one of the others who knew of their location. He’d often joke that he was in competition with Bathilda, a competition of who could spoil Harry the most. Sirius was Harry’s godfather, so naturally he spoiled Harry whenever he had the opportunity. However, because Sirius was in danger of being followed, he could only spoil Harry by sending gifts during that time.</p><p>The other select few who knew of the Potters’ locations could not speak of it. Quite literally, for there was an extremely powerful enchantment that protected their whereabouts. Only one person was able to speak their location, a trusted friend, by the name of Peter Pettigrew. He, like Sirius, was a childhood friend of James’.  They chose him above Sirius and other friends, because they did not believe You-Know-Who would ever suspect that the Potters would choose him. He was not the bravest of men, nor the most talented, but they trusted him. It was a Saturday evening when they realized they had put their faith in the wrong man.</p><p>Halloween had always been James’ favorite holiday, and he was very happy that that year it fell on date night. Even though James and Lily couldn’t go very far from their house, they’d occasionally sneak to the nearest pub for a few hours away. James had convinced Lily to attend the Halloween party with him since it was date night and his favorite holiday. For trick-or-treat at 4:00 pm, they had dressed Harry in a fawn onesie with his nose painted black, while James sported an adult onesie and Christmas antlers. Lily wore a brown dress and leggings with intricate doe makeup, and an attachable tail and ears. Around 5:00, Bathilda came over to help put Harry to bed. Like always, Lily was reluctant to leave because the enchantment was weaker the further from home they went. James, however, ensured her that it would only be for a couple of hours and that Harry would still be with Bathilda at the strongest point of the enchantment. The couple left after Harry fell asleep, still in his onesie. Bathilda sat in the rocking chair in Harry’s nursery and wrote in her notebook. A full hour passed before the wet and windy night became all the worse.</p><p>The entire time James and Lily were at the party, Lily worried about Harry and had a bad feeling tugging at her gut. James could see how upset she was, so agreed almost immediately when she asked that they leave early. Lily’s scream upon reaching their home could be heard all the way back at the pub. She collapsed to her knees as James ran into the rubble that used to be their home. He shouted Bathilda’s and Harry’s names continuously until he reached the ruined nursery. James immediately collapsed to his knees as his wife had when he found his son crying in his crib, still alive. Dead beside the crib laid Bathilda, she appeared to have been attempting to defend Harry but was no match for He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. James shook so hard that he didn’t move from the spot until a firm pair of arms rose him to his feet and a familiar voice whispered, “Come on Prongs, we have to get you out of here.”</p><p>Sirius Black lifted his friend to his feet and scooped up his godson before running out to Lily. She gasped when she heard her son’s crying and immediately snatched him from Sirius’ arms, kissing him all over while still sobbing. Sirius guided her into the side cart of his motorcycle before mounting the bike with James. Revving the engine, Sirius shot down the lane before the bike took to the sky.</p><p>* * *</p><p>
  <span class="u">
    <em>
      <strong>*This next passage is taken directly from the book*</strong>
    </em>
  </span>
</p><p>Now, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.</p><p>Mr. Dursley was the director of a firm called Grunnings, which made drills. He was a big beefy man with hardly any neck, although he did have a very large mustache. Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spend so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors. The Dursleys had a small son called Dudley and, in their opinion, there was no finer boy anywhere.</p><p>The Dursleys had everything they wanted, but they also had a secret, and their greatest fear was that somebody would discover it. They didn't think they could bear it if anyone found out about the Potters. Mrs. Potter was Mrs. Dursley's sister, but they hadn't met for several years; in fact, Mrs. Dursley pretended she didn't have a sister, because her sister and her good-for-nothing husband were as unDursleyish as it was possible to be. The Dursleys shuddered to think what the neighbors would say if the Potters arrived in the street. The Dursleys knew that the Potters had a small son, too, but they had never seen him. This boy was another good reason for keeping the potters away; they didn't want Dudley mixing with a child like that.</p><p>When Mr. and Mrs. Dursley woke up a dull, gray Sunday, there was nothing about the cloudy sky outside to suggest that strange and mysterious things would soon be happening all over the country. Mr. Dursley hummed as he picked out his most boring tie for work and droned on about having to work that weekend, though he really didn’t mind, and Mrs. Dursley gossiped away happily as she wrestled a screaming Dudley into his highchair.  </p><p>None of them noticed a large, tawny owl flutter past the window.</p><p>At half past eight, Mr. Dursley picked up his briefcase, pecked Mrs. Dursley on the cheek, and tried to kiss Dudley goodbye but missed because Dudley was now having a tantrum and throwing his cereal at the wall. “Little tyke,” chortled Mr. Dursley as he left the house. He got into his car and backed out of number four's drive. </p><p>It was on the corner of the street that he noticed the first sign of something peculiar—a cat reading a map. For a second, Mr. Dursley didn't realize what he had seen—then he jerked his head around to look again. There was a tabby cat standing on the corner of Privet Drive but there wasn't a map insight. What could he have been thinking of? It must have been a trick of the light. Mr. Dursley blinked and stared at the cat. It stared back. As Mr. Dursley drove around the corner and up the road, he watched the cat in his mirror. It was now reading the sign that said Privet Drive—no, <em>looking</em> at the sign; cats couldn't read maps <em>or</em> signs. Mr. Dursley gave himself a little shake and put the cat out of his mind. As he drove towards town, he thought of nothing except how many people he might get to yell at today.</p><p>But on the edge of town, that was driven out of his mind by something else. As he sat in a traffic jam, he couldn't help noticing that there seemed to be a lot of strangely dressed people about. People in cloaks. Mr. Dursley couldn't bear people who dressed in funny clothes—the getups you saw on young people! He supposed this was some stupid new fashion. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel and his eyes fell on a huddle of these weirdos standing quite close by. They were whispering excitedly together. Mr. Dursley was enraged to see that a couple of them weren't young at all; why, that man had to be older than he was, and wearing an emerald-green cloak! The nerve of him! But then it struck Mr. Dursley that this was probably some silly stunt—these people were obviously collecting for something… yes, that would be it. The traffic moved on and a few minutes later Mr. Dursley's arrived at Grunnings parking lot, his mind back on who to shout at first.</p><p>Mr. Dursley always sat with his back to the window in his office on the 9th floor. If he hadn't, he might have found it harder to concentrate on drills that morning. He didn't see the owl swooping past in broad daylight, though people down in the street did; they pointed and gazed open mouthed as owl after owl sped overhead. Most of them had never seen an owl even in night-time. Mr. Dursley however had a perfectly normal, owl free morning. He yelled at five different people. He made several important telephone calls and shouted a bit more. He was in a very good mood until lunchtime, when he thought he'd stretch his legs and walk across the road to buy himself a bun from the bakery.</p><p>He forgotten all about the people in cloaks until he passed a group of them next to the baker’s. He eyed them angrily as he passed. He didn't know why, but they made him uneasy. This bunch were whispering excitedly, too, and he'd couldn't see a single collecting tin. It was on his way back past them, clutching a large donut in a bag, that he caught a few words of what they were saying.</p><p>“The Potters, that’s right, that’s what I heard—”</p><p>"—yes their son, Harry—”</p><p>Mr. Dursley stopped dead. Fear flooded him. He looked back at the whispers as if he wanted to say something to them but thought better of it.  </p><p>He dashed back across the road, hurried up to his office, snapped at his secretary not to disturb him, sees his telephone, and had almost finished dialing his home number when he changed his mind. He put the receiver back down and stroked his mustache, thinking … no, he was being stupid. Hotter wasn't such an unusual name. He was sure there were lots of people called Potter who had a son called Harry. Come to think of it, he wasn't even sure his nephew was called Harry. He'd never even seen the boy. It might have been Harvey. Or Harold. There was no point in worrying Mrs. Dursley; she always got so upset at any mention of her sister. He didn't blame her—if he had a sister like that… but all the same, those people in cloaks…</p><p>He found it a lot harder to concentrate on drills that afternoon and when he left the building at five o’clock, he was still so worried that he walked straight into someone just outside the door.</p><p>“Sorry,” He grunted, as the tiny old man stumbled and almost fell. It was a few seconds before Mr. Dursley realized that the man was wearing a Violet cloak. He didn't seem at all upset at being almost knocked to the ground. On the contrary his face split into a wide smile and he sat in a squeaky voice that made passerby stare, “Don't be sorry, my dear sir, for nothing could upset me today! Rejoice for You-Know-Who has gone at last! Even Muggles like yourself should be celebrating, this happy, happy day!”</p><p>And the old man hugged Mr Dursley around the middle and walked off.</p><p>Mr Dursley stood rooted to the spot. He had been hugged by a complete stranger. He also thought he had been called a muggle, whatever that was. He was rattled. He hurried to his car and set off for home, hoping he was just imagining things, which he had never hoped before, because he didn't approve of imagination.</p><p>As he pulled into the driveway of number four, the first thing he saw—and it didn't improve his mood—was the tabby cat he'd spotted that morning. It was now sitting on his garden wall. He was sure it was the same one; it had the same markings around its eyes.   </p><p>“Shoo!” said Mr. Dursley loudly.</p><p>The cat didn't move. It just gave him external look. Was this normal cat behavior? Mr. Dursley wondered. Trying to pull himself together he let himself into the house. He was still determined not to mention anything to his wife.</p><p>Mrs. Dursley had had a nice, normal day. She told him over dinner all about Mrs. Next Door neighbor’s problems with her daughter and how Dudley had learned a new word (“Won’t!”). Mr Dursley you try to act normally. When in doubt they had been put to bed, he went into the living room in time to catch the last report on the Evening News:</p><p>“and finally, bird watchers everywhere have reported that the nation's owls have been behaving very unusual in today. Although I was normally hunt at night and are hardly ever seen in daylight, there have been hundreds of sightings of these birds flying in every direction said sunrise. Experts are unable to explain why owls have suddenly changed their sleeping pattern.” the newscaster allowed himself a grin. “Most mysterious. And now over to Jim McGuffin for the weather. Going to be anymore showers of owls tonight, Jim?”   </p><p>“Well Ted,” said the weatherman, “I don't know about that, but it's not only the hours that have been acting ugly today. Viewers as far apart as Kent, Yorkshire, and Dundee have been phoning in to tell me that instead of the rain I promised yesterday, they've had a downpour of shooting stars! Perhaps people have been celebrating Bonfire Night early—it’s not until next week, folks! But I can promise a wet night tonight.”</p><p>Mr. Dursley sat frozen in his arm chair. Shooting stars over Britain? Owls flying by daylight? Mysterious people in cloaks all over the place? And a whisper, a whisper about the Potters…</p><p>Mrs. Dursley came into the living room carrying two cups of tea. It was no good. He'd have to say something to her period he cleared his throat nervously. “Er—Petunia, dear—you Haven't heard from your sister in lately, have you?”</p><p>As he expected, Mrs. Dursley looked shocked and angry. After all, they normally pretended she didn't have his sister.</p><p>“No,” she said sharply. “Why?”</p><p> “Funny stuff on the news,” Mr. Dursley mumbled. “owls…shooting stars … and there are a lot of funny looking people in town today…”  </p><p> “<em>So?” </em>snapped Mrs. Dursley.</p><p>“Well, I just thought…maybe…it was something to do with…you know…<em>her </em>crowd.”</p><p>Mrs. Dursley sipped her tea through pursed lips. Mr. Dursley wondered whether he dared tell her he'd heard the name “Potter.” He decided he didn't dare. Instead he said, and casually as he could, “their son—he’d be about Dudley’s his age now, wouldn’t he?”</p><p>“I suppose so,” said Mrs. Dursley stiffly.</p><p>“What's his name again? Howard, isn't it?”</p><p>“Harry. Nasty, common name if you ask me.”</p><p>“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Dursely, his heart sinking horribly. “Yes, I quite agree.”</p><p>He didn't say another word on the subject as they went upstairs to bed. Well Mrs. Dursley was in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley crept to the bedroom window and peered down into the front garden. The cat was still there. It was staring down Privet Drive as though it were waiting for something.</p><p>Was he imagining things? Could all this have anything to do with the Potters? If it did…if it got out that they were related to a pair of—well, he didn't think he could bear it.</p><p>The Dursleys got into bed. Mrs. Dursley fell asleep quickly, but Mr. Dursley lay awake, turning it all over in his mind. His last, comforting thought before he fell asleep was that even if the Potters <em>were</em> involved, there was no reason for them to come near him and Mrs. Dursley. The Potters knew very well that he and Petunia thought about them and their kind… He couldn't see how he and Petunia could get mixed up in anything that might be going on—he yawned turned over—it couldn't affect them…    </p><p>How very wrong he was.       </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. New Neighbors</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The mysterious Albus Dumbledore appears on Privet Drive to bring news to Professor McGonagall. Moments later the Potter family arrives and settles into their new home, neighbors to none other than the Dursleys.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy and comment if you like it!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>           As the Dursleys were drifting off to sleep, the cat on the wall was showing no sign of sleepiness. It was sitting unmoving as it stared fixedly down to the far corner of Privet Drive. Car doors shutting nor swooping owls phased the cat unwavering stare. It wasn’t until a quarter to midnight that the cat moved at all.</p><p>          An older man had quite suddenly, as if he’d popped out of the ground, appeared on the corner of Privet drive that the cat had been watching. The cat’s tail swished and it narrowed it’s eyes.</p><p>          Nothing like this man had ever been seen on Privet Drive. He was tall, thin, with silver hair and beard that were so long, they fell past his belt. He wore peculiar clothes, consisting of long robes, a purple cloak, and high-heeled, buckled boots. His bright, light blue eyes sparkled in the streetlight behind half-moon spectacles, which were perched on a long crooked nose that looked as if it had been broken at least twice. His name was Albus Dumbledore.</p><p>          Albus Dumbledore didn’t seem to realize that he had just arrived in a street where everything from his name to his boots was unwelcome. He was currently occupied with rummaging through his cloak, clearly looking for something. Another thing, he did not seem to realize he was being watched. He looked up just as suddenly as he appeared, at the cat, which had not stopped staring at him from the other end of the street. However, the sight of the cat did not disturb him as much as it had Mr. Dursley, on the contrary, it seemed to amuse him. He chuckled and muttered to himself, “I should have known.”</p><p>          He finally found what he had been looking for in his cloak. From the inside pocket, he pulled out what appeared to be a silver cigarette lighter. He flicked it open, held it up in the air, and clicked it. The nearest streetlamp went out with a swoosh and the light seemed to gather in the tip of the lighter. He clicked it again and the light in next lamp flickered into darkness as well. He repeated this twelve more times so the only lights left on the street were two glowing eyes of the cate in the distance. If anyone had looked out of their window now, even the snoopy Mrs. Dursley, they wouldn’t be able to see anything happening along the street.</p><p>          Dumbledore slipped his light put-outer back inside his cloak and set off down the street. He took a seat on the stone wall next to the cat. He didn’t look at it, but after a moment he spoke to it. “Fancy seeing you here, Professor McGonagall.”</p><p>          He turned to smile at the tabby cat, but it was no longer there. In its place sat a rather severe-looking woman. She wore square glasses that matched the markings around the cat’s eyes. Like Dumbledore, she was wearing a cloak only hers was a shimmering emerald green one. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun and she looked distinctly ruffled.</p><p>         “How did you know it was me?” she asked.</p><p>         “My dear Professor, I’ve never seen a cat sit so stiffly.”</p><p>          “You’d be stiff if you’d been sitting on a brick wall all day,” said Professor McGonagall.</p><p>          “All day? When you could have been celebrating? I must have passed a dozen feasts and parties on my way here.”</p><p>          Professor McGonagall sniffed angrily. “Oh yes, everyone’s celebrating, all right,” she said impatiently. “You’d think they’d be a bit more careful, but no — even the Muggles have noticed something’s going on. It was on their news.” She jerked her head back at the Dursleys’ dark living-room window. “I heard it. Flocks of owls . . . shooting stars…. Well, they’re not completely stupid. They were bound to notice something. Shooting stars down in Kent — I’ll bet that was Dedalus Diggle. He never had much sense.”</p><p>         “You can’t blame them,” said Dumbledore gently. “We’ve had precious little to celebrate for eleven years.”</p><p>         “I know that,” said Professor McGonagall irritably. “But that’s no reason to lose our heads. People are being downright careless, out on the streets in broad daylight, not even dressed in Muggle clothes, swapping rumors.” She threw a sharp, sideways glance at Dumbledore here, as though hoping he was going to tell her something, but he didn’t, so she went on. “A fine thing it would be if, on the very day You-Know-Who seems to have disappeared at last, the Muggles found out about us all. I suppose he really has gone, Dumbledore?”</p><p>         “It certainly seems so,” said Dumbledore. “We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a lemon drop?”</p><p>         “A what?”</p><p>         “A lemon drop. They’re a kind of Muggle sweet I’m rather fond of.”</p><p>         “No, thank you,” said Professor McGonagall coldly, as though she didn’t think this was the moment for a lemon drop. “As I say, even if You-Know-Who has gone—”</p><p>        “My dear Professor, surely a sensible person like yourself can call him by his name? All this ‘You-Know-Who’ nonsense — for eleven years I have been trying to persuade people to call him by his proper name: Voldemort.”</p><p>         Professor McGonagall flinched, but Dumbledore, who was unsticking two lemon drops, didn’t seem to notice. “It all gets so confusing if we keep saying ‘You-Know-Who.’ I have never seen any reason to be frightened of saying Voldemort’s name.”</p><p>          “I know you haven’t,” said Professor McGonagall, sounding half exasperated, half admiring. “But you’re different. Everyone knows you’re the only one You-Know- oh, all right, Voldemort, was frightened of.”</p><p>          “You flatter me,” said Dumbledore calmly. “Voldemort had powers I will never have.”</p><p>           “Only because you’re too — well — noble to use them.”</p><p>           “It’s lucky it’s dark. I haven’t blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.”</p><p>           Professor McGonagall shot a sharp look at Dumbledore and said, “The owls are nothing next to the rumors that are flying around. You know what everyone’s saying? About why he’s disappeared? About what finally stopped him?” It seemed that Professor McGonagall had reached the point she was most anxious to discuss, the real reason she had been waiting on a cold, hard wall all day, for neither as a cat nor as a woman had she fixed Dumbledore with such a piercing stare as she did now. It was plain that whatever “everyone” was saying, she was not going to believe it until Dumbledore told her it was true. Dumbledore, however, was choosing another lemon drop and did not answer.</p><p>          “What they’re saying,” she pressed on, “is that last night Voldemort turned up in Godric’s Hollow. He went to find the Potters. The rumor is that Lily and James Potter are — are — that they’re — dead.”</p><p>          Dumbledore took a long breath “Alas, Minerva, these are just as you say, rumors.”</p><p>          Professor McGonagall let out a deep breath that she appeared to have been holding, “Thank the stars Albus, Lily and James, and their son, I didn’t want to believe it”</p><p>          Dumbledore reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “They’re safe Minerva, unfortunately the same cannot be said for dear Bathilda Bagshot” he said heavily and bowed his head.</p><p>          Professor McGonagall gasped softly “Oh Albus… I am so sorry…” her voice started to tremble as she went on. There was a long pause before she went on “That’s not the only rumors though Albus. They’re saying he—he  tried to kill the Potters’ son, Harry. But — he couldn’t. He couldn’t kill that little boy. No one knows why, or how, but they’re saying that when he couldn’t kill Harry Potter, Voldemort’s power somehow broke — and that’s why he’s gone.”</p><p>         Dumbledore nodded glumly, “that part is, indeed true, yes.”</p><p>        “It’s — it’s true?” faltered Professor McGonagall. “After all he’s done . . . all the people he’s killed . . . he couldn’t kill a little boy? It’s just astounding . . . of all the things to stop him . . . but how in the name of heaven did Harry survive?”</p><p>       “We can only guess,” said Dumbledore. “We may never know.”</p><p>        Professor McGonagall pulled out a lace handkerchief and dabbed at her eyes beneath her spectacles. Dumbledore gave a great sniff as he took a golden watch from his pocket and examined it. It was a very odd watch. It had twelve hands but no numbers; instead, little planets were moving around the edge. It must have made sense to Dumbledore, though, because he put it back in his pocket and said, “Hagrid’s late. I suppose it was he who told you I’d be here, by the way?”</p><p>         “Yes,” said Professor McGonagall. “And I don’t suppose you’re going to tell me why you’re here, of all places?”</p><p>         “I’ve come to help the Potters settle into a new home. They will be safest here, next to the only family they have left now.”</p><p>         “You don’t mean — you can’t mean the people who live here?” cried Professor McGonagall, jumping to her feet and pointing at number four.</p><p>          “Dumbledore — you can’t. I’ve been watching them all day. You couldn’t find two people who are less like us. And they’ve got this son — I saw him kicking his mother all the way up the street, screaming for sweets. You expect James to come quietly? You expect Harry Potter to be raised around such awful—”</p><p>          “It’s the best place for them,” said Dumbledore firmly. “Lily and James will still be the one to raise him, his aunt and uncle will ensure that no one find out who they really are. I’ve written them a letter as well.”</p><p>          Professor McGonagall sighed and sat back down on the wall “I expect you’re right. They won’t be happy. You really think you can explain all this in a letter, Dumbledore? And not to mention that Harry will be famous — a legend — I wouldn’t be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in the future — there will be books written about Harry — every child in our world will know his name!”</p><p>          “Exactly,” said Dumbledore, looking very seriously over the top of his half-moon glasses. “It would be enough to turn any boy’s head. Famous before he can walk and talk! Famous for something he won’t even remember! Can’t you see how much better off he’ll be, growing up away from all that until he’s ready to take it? I have every confidence that James and Lily will be sure to keep the fame from going to his head.”</p><p>           Professor McGonagall opened her mouth, changed her mind, swallowed, and then said, “Yes — yes, you’re right, of course. But how are they getting here? Where will they be living, Dumbledore?”</p><p>          “Hagrid’s bringing them”</p><p>          “You think it — wise — to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?”</p><p>          “I would trust Hagrid with my life,” said Dumbledore.</p><p>         “I’m not saying his heart isn’t in the right place,” said Professor McGonagall grudgingly, “but you can’t pretend he’s not careless. He does tend to — what was that?” A low rumbling sound had broken the silence around them. It grew steadily louder as they looked up and down the street for some sign of a headlight; it swelled to a roar as they both looked up at the sky — and a huge motorcycle fell out of the air and landed on the road in front of them.</p><p>          If the motorcycle was huge, it was nothing to the man sitting astride it. He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide. He looked simply too big to be allowed, and so wild — long tangles of bushy black hair and beard hid most of his face, he had hands the size of trash can lids, and his feet in their leather boots were like baby dolphins. Hardly visible behind him, James Potter clung to the large man’s heavy brown coat. Still seated in the motorcycle’s side cart was Lily Potter, cuddling Harry close to her.</p><p>        “I prefer Sirius’ driving” James muttered as he stumbled off, looking as he might be sick.</p><p>        “Hagrid, James, Lily” sighed Dumbledore, sounding relieved. “At last.”</p><p>         Hagrid offered his enormous hand to Lily, who took it gingerly and stepped out of the side cart.</p><p>         “And where is Sirius?” Dumbledore inquired.</p><p>         “He dropped us off with Hagrid, then was gone before I could stop him. Dumbledore, I think he went after Peter. I should—”</p><p>         “You should be with your family.” Dumbledore said firmly. “I will go after Sirius when you are settled.”</p><p>         James looked determinedly at Dumbledore, obviously wanting to argue, but Lily slid Harry into his arms and his shoulders relaxed. Lily and Professor McGonagall embraced each other as if family. “Oh Lily, I’m so glad you’re safe” McGonagall said, comfortingly stroking Lily’s windblown hair.</p><p>        “No problems, were there Hagrid?” Dumbledore turned to the giant once again.</p><p>        “No, sir—their house was almost destroyed, but Sirius got them out all right before the Muggles started swarmin’ around. Lily got little Harry there to fall asleep as we was flyin’ over Bristol.”</p><p>         Dumbledore bent forward over the bundle of blankets in James’ arms. Inside, just visible, was a baby boy, fast asleep. Under a tuft of jet-black hair over his forehead they could see a curiously shaped cut, like a bolt of lightning.</p><p>         “Is that where — ?” whispered Professor McGonagall, her arm still around Lily who was wiping tears from her eyes.</p><p>          James nodded and Dumbledore said “Yes, he’ll have that scar forever.”</p><p>          “Couldn’t you do something about it, Dumbledore?” James asked.</p><p>          “Even if I could, I wouldn’t. Scars can come in handy. I have one myself above my left knee that is a perfect map of the London Underground.”</p><p>          The others exchanged small smiles at these words, as if they’d often heard Dumbledore make such remarks.</p><p>           “Now, to get you settled” Dumbledore turned abruptly toward the house beside number four, number five. There was a for sale sign planted in the ground, but with a wave of his hand it was gone. “I’ll make sure the muggles selling this house are properly compensated and informed.”</p><p>           James looked skeptically at the house, which was identical to every other house on the street. “You’re sure we couldn’t just rebuild Dumbledore?” he asked, careful to keep complaint out of his voice.</p><p>           “This will be the safest place for you right now James. There are still people out there who will be hunting Harry. They will not suspect you came here. I’m sorry but it must be here.” Dumbledore smiled, knowingly. “Now, I suggest you get some sleep. You’ll find the house fully furnished. I am leaving a letter to your sister Lily, but I’d recommend going to see her in the morning.”</p><p>           Lily bit her lip nervously but nodded.</p><p>           Cradling Harry in one arm, James reached down and slipped his hand into his wife’s and gave it a reassuring squeeze. </p><p>          “Could I — could I say good-bye to him?” asked Hagrid.</p><p>           Lily smiled softly and nodded. He bent his great, shaggy head over Harry and gave him what must have been a very scratchy, whiskery kiss. Then, suddenly, Hagrid let out a howl like a wounded dog, causing Lily to jump.</p><p>          “Shhh!” hissed Professor McGonagall, “you’ll wake the Muggles!”</p><p>          “S-s-sorry,” sobbed Hagrid, taking out a large, spotted handkerchief and burying his face in it. “Havin’ to live with these nasty ol’ Muggles —”</p><p>           James nodded solemnly but Lily gave him a stern look.</p><p>           “Yes, yes, it’s all very sad, but get a grip on yourself, Hagrid, or we’ll be found,” Professor McGonagall whispered, patting Hagrid gingerly on the arm.</p><p>           After another hug from McGonagall, Dumbledore handed James a silver house key. Together, the Potters walked up the stone path to their new front door. After the three were safely inside, the others stood staring at the door for a full minute. Hagrid’s shoulders shook, Professor McGonagall blinked furiously, and the twinkling light that usually shone from Dumbledore’s eyes seemed to have gone out.</p><p>         “Well,” said Dumbledore finally, “that’s that. We’ve no business staying here. We may as well go and join the celebrations.”</p><p>          “Yeah,” said Hagrid in a very muffled voice, “I’d best get this bike back. G’night, Professor McGonagall — Professor Dumbledore, sir.” Wiping his streaming eyes on his jacket sleeve, Hagrid swung himself onto the motorcycle and kicked the engine into life; with a roar it rose into the air and off into the night.</p><p>          “I shall see you soon, I expect, Professor McGonagall,” said Dumbledore, nodding to her. Professor McGonagall blew her nose in reply. Dumbledore turned and walked back down the street. On the corner he stopped and took out the silver Put-Outer. He clicked it once, and twelve balls of light sped back to their street lamps so that Privet Drive glowed suddenly orange and he could make out a tabby cat slinking around the corner at the other end of the street. He looked once again at the door of number five. “Good luck, Harry,” he murmured. He turned on his heel and with a swish of his cloak, he was gone.</p><p>           A breeze ruffled the neat hedges of Privet Drive, which lay silent and tidy under the inky sky, the very last place you would expect astonishing things to happen. Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets, cuddled between his mother and father, without waking up. He slept on, not knowing he was special, not knowing he was famous, not knowing he would be startled to tears at Mrs. Dursley’s scream as she opened the front door to see her estranged sister. He couldn’t know that at this very moment, people meeting in secret all over the country were holding up their glasses and saying in hushed voices: “To Harry Potter — the boy who lived!”</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Disturbance on Privet Drive</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>10 years after arriving on Privet Drive things are not so magical anymore for the Potters. They are invited to spend the day with the Dursleys at the zoo, to celebrate Dudley's birthday, but not before an unexpected visit from an old friend.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy and comment if you like it!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their estranged family had moved in seemingly overnight. For some odd reason, no one could ever remember when the Potters had moved in. Mrs. Next-Door-Neighbor insisted that she had seen the young family viewing the house and the moving van pulling up only three days after. However, this story changed every time so no one quite took that very seriously. An older woman on the street told always everyone “Don’t worry your heads about it, there’s no explainin’ it” and this is mostly what everyone did. Everyone that is, except the Dursleys.</p><p>The Dursleys had made it a point that they wanted nothing to do with the Potters, but the secret was soon out that Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Dursley were sisters. After this, it was everyone’s business trying to find out what happened to create such bad blood between the sisters. In attempt to stop the rumours, knowing how much it bothered her sister, Mrs. Potter often invited her for tea. Mrs. Dursley curtly would accept but refuse to ever enjoy herself. However, eventually Mrs. Dursley started inviting her sister to tea, “Just to help stop these ridiculous rumours darling!” she insisted to her husband. Over time, the two sisters did start to grow closer, bonding shared experiences in married life and motherhood. Mr. Dursley however still despised the lot of them, especially Mr. Potter.</p><p>Mr. Dursley could often be heard raving “That good for nothing—that Potter! He’s pretending to use the hose again! Don’t know why he doesn’t just use it—good for nothing…” or “That husband of your silly—that horrible—Potter and his dead-beat friend are arguing about some kick-which or what have you for the whole bloody neighbourhood to hear!” Mr. Potter enjoyed tormenting Mr. Dursley, only going just far enough not to get in trouble, which he was quite good at.</p><p>Young Harry and Dudley seemed to take after their fathers more than their mothers. As they grew up, Dudley, used to always getting his way, would through fits and beat up on Harry whenever their mothers got together, and they were dragged along. Dudley would purposely break things when their mothers weren’t looking and proceed to blame it on Harry. This would often cause arguments between the sisters, mainly Petunia insisting her “Duddy-kins” would never break anything and claiming Harry took after his father. Lily often offered to fix the broken items, but soon learned this only made her sister angrier. There would be weeks where Mrs. Dursley did not talk to her sister, but sooner or later they’d be back to their regular tea times as if nothing happened. This continued on, until one day, something happened and the Dursleys decided they’d had enough.      </p><p>“Harry sweetheart! Time to get up” Harry’s mother called up the stairs.</p><p>“Up and at ‘em kiddo” Harry’s father called and knocked on Harry’s bedroom door as he passed.</p><p>Harry groaned and rolled over onto his back. He’d been having a great dream about riding his godfather’s motorcycle but only it was flying and he was riding it alongside a giant. He smiled to himself and shook his head, Sirius’ bike couldn’t fly, well at least as far as he was aware. Despite all the fantastical things he’d seen his parents and their friends do, it was never really discussed much in the house. His parents explained that they had to appear as normal (or boring as his father said) as possible. They told him they mustn’t talk about it at all around the Dursleys who were particularly sensitive to the topic of anything not considered normal.</p><p>“Harry, you up in there? Breakfast is ready” his mother called again and he could hear her coming up the stairs. A moment later she gently knocked and opened the door, “Morning sweetheart” she smiled brightly at him and sat beside him on the bed. “We’re going to the zoo with your aunt, uncle, and cousin today. It’s his birthday”     </p><p>“Mum!” Harry groaned and flipped back onto his stomach, burying his face in his pillows.</p><p>“I know, I know, but they’re family and your Aunt Petunia was sweet enough to invite us. I think that’s a big step toward us being more like a family, don’t you?” she gently ran her fingers through his mess of hair. He groaned again in response. “Oh come on you big sleepyhead” she tickled his sides causing him to laugh and curl into a ball “Mum!” he complained, though smiling.</p><p>“Harry!” she laughed back.</p><p>“Lily!” Harry’s father called suddenly from downstairs “Lil—the bacon it’s—Merlin’s balls—Lily it’s on fire!”</p><p>Both Harry and Lily scrambled down the stairs.</p><p>“Oh, my stars—James!” Lily gasped as they burst into the kitchen, the flames growing higher by the second.</p><p>At the face of sheer panic on his father’s face, Harry burst into laughter. Lily turned off the heat and covered the pan. “This is why you can’t hide my—” James started but Lily abruptly snapped back “this is why you need to learn to cook!” They both stared determinedly at one another, Harry still laughing, before Lily cracked a smile.</p><p>“Shut up” she playfully pushed her husbands face away.</p><p>“I didn’t say anything” James grinned broadly at her.</p><p>“You and your stupid face go set the table” Lily smiled, shaking her head and turning back to the pan.</p><p>“You be quiet” James pointed a finger at Harry as he walked over to get plates and tousled his son’s hair as he passed. Harry laughed and tried to fix his hair.</p><p>“Is this what you’re wearing to the zoo?” James gently tugged on the back of Harry’s pajama collar “I approve. Your Aunt and Uncle will throw a fit, can I wear my pajamas too Lil?”</p><p>"Harry, go get dressed,” Lily said, ignoring her husband’s remark.</p><p>Harry ran back up the stairs and picked out his favorite pair of jeans and an old red and gold jersey of his father’s that fell to his knees. He grinned at his reflection in the mirror. Harry had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair and brown skin like his father, and bright green eyes like his mother’s, framed by round glasses. His favorite thing about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He didn’t know exactly how he got it because his parents gave him very little detail. He knew that someone very bad had tried to harm him as a child, but his surrogate grandmother had died to save him. His parents often told him that one day he would go to the school where they had gone and everyone there would know his name. Everyone would treat him special because of those events, but they always taught him that he mustn’t treat anyone else as if they were inferior. That is why they raised him around people unlike them. It was why they had raised him thus far to be normal.</p><p>Harry had been attending school with his cousin thus far and had hated every minute. Dudley’s bullying did not stop outside Privet Drive. Harry had not been able to make any friends at his school, because everyone knew that Harry was Dudley and his gang’s favorite target. He didn’t really mind though, he had his parents and he had his godfather, as well as his Uncle Remus, who wasn’t really a blood relative, but close enough to be considered family. Sure, Harry wished he would be included more at school and had some friends his own age, but he hoped that would change soon. His mother and father always told fantastical stories to him about the school they attended. He hoped he’d be accepted to this school as well, but as far as he was aware, had shown no signs he could even study at this school. As far as he could remember, nothing strange or fantastic had ever happened to him.</p><p>“Harry! Your breakfast is getting cold!” his father’s voice shook him from his thoughts, and he ran down the stairs. “Nice shirt” his dad winked, grinning from the breakfast table.</p><p>“But you can’t wear it, sweetheart.” Lily looked up from her newspaper.</p><p>“Better than football!” James protested.</p><p>"I beg to differ. They’re really quite similar in some aspects James. Now go put on that blue shirt I bought you a few days ago”</p><p>“Yeah it’s more boring” James muttered under his breath as he took another bite of burnt bacon.</p><p>Harry grinned at his dad, but ran up and changed into his new blue shirt per his mother’s request. He returned to the table and took a few pieces of bacon that his mom had cooked, leaving the scorched stuff untouched, and began to eat his breakfast.</p><p>"Hey, why don’t you eat some of the crispy stuff?” James raised his eyebrows at his son.</p><p>“Because you’re the only one who won’t admit it’s more than just crispy dear” Lily kissed his cheek as she stood up to take her empty plate to the kitchen.</p><p>“Charcoal, is nutritious”</p><p>Harry smiled and shook his head, continuing to eat his food. A loud engine revving broke the silence, causing Lily to jump.</p><p>“Sirius!” James and Harry both jumped up from the table.</p><p>“James—Harry! We have to leave in 10 minutes!” Lily shouted, but they were already down the hall and opening the door.</p><p>Sirius Black revved his engine again when James and Harry opened the door. This caused several of the neighbors to peer nosily and scoff from behind their curtains.</p><p>“Really, Sirius, you’re not impressing anyone” Remus Lupin scolded as he let go of Sirius and pulled off his helmet. Remus was tall and lanky like James, but he had mousy brown hair and scruff. His eyes were a soft caramel color but were often accompanied with dark circles and bags. Harry guessed he worked a strenuous job, because his face and arms were scarred in several places, but he never told Harry what had happened. He usually wore mute colors, as if he was trying his hardest to blend in to his surroundings.</p><p>Sirius however, he would stand out in any crowd, aside perhaps a rock concert or biker gang. He wore a leather jacket over an “ACDC” shirt, along with leather pants and a spiked bracelet on each wrist. He laughed merrily as he removed his helmet and shook out his shoulder length, black, wavy hair. “Impressed Harry, didn’t I?” Sirius smiled charmingly at Remus then winked at Harry.</p><p>Remus muttered something under his breath that Harry couldn’t quite make out. The two dismounted and Harry ran out to greet them. “Sirius!” he ran out to his godfather.</p><p>“Hey! There’s my favorite Potter!” he caught Harry in a playful headlock and ruffled his hair. Harry laughed.</p><p>“Oi!” James protested.</p><p>“Don’t worry Prongs I’m just trading you for the younger version” Sirius winked at James and released Harry as he walked inside.</p><p>“Hello Sirius, hi Remus. I’m afraid you can’t stay long we’re leaving within 5 minutes” Lily said quickly but with a smile.</p><p>“Hi Lily” Remus smiled.</p><p>“Well we’re just here for the food, so no worries” Sirius winked again and gave her a peck on the cheek.</p><p>“Watch it Padfoot” James said in a mock threatening voice.</p><p>“You know I’ve only got eyes for Moony there” Sirius made a heart with his hands and pushed it toward Remus teasingly.</p><p>“Shut up Sirius” Remus shook his head, but smiled.</p><p>Lily raised an eyebrow at Remus, and he shook his head a little, then followed Sirius into the kitchen. Lily’s fluffy ginger cat had immediately leapt from the counter onto Sirius’ shoulders and was nuzzling him affectionately. Sirius popped a piece of the burnt bacon into his mouth and scratched behind the cat’s ears.</p><p>“This bacon is amazing” he said through his mouthful.</p><p>“See!” James said with a proud smirk.</p><p>“Sirius will eat anything resembling bacon though” she smiled “so don’t get too cocky dear. Harry, are you ready to go?”</p><p>“Not yet” Harry was enjoying just watching all the playful banter between his parents and their friends.</p><p>“Yes you are, run next door and tell your aunt and uncle we’ll be over soon”</p><p>“Mum!” Harry groaned.</p><p>“Go on! I don’t want to hear it” Lily frowned impatiently.</p><p>Harry groaned and rolled his eyes as he turned to leave.</p><p>“What was that?” Lily asked sharply.</p><p>Harry didn’t respond but quickly ran out the door. He sighed and ran over to his aunt and uncle’s and rang the doorbell.</p><p>“Coming!” the shrill voice of Aunt Petunia rang from behind the door. Harry tried to straighten his hair. Last time his aunt and uncle had watched him for a weekend, they’d nearly shaved his head because they felt his hair was too out of control. For some reason however, the razor always turned off when it got even close to Harry’s head. This had made them very upset and scold Harry, claiming he was ungrateful.</p><p>Aunt Petunia answered the door with a huge plastered grin, “Lily, Dudley did—” she started but stopped when she saw Harry “Oh, it’s you. Where’s your mother?”</p><p>“Next door”</p><p>“Don’t sass me young man” she scrunched her nose as if Harry smelled “Why isn’t she with you? Don’t tell me that lump of a father of yours is giving her a hard time”</p><p>“He’s not a lump, and no. Sirius came for a visit, they’ll be over soon.”</p><p>“Hm..” she made a sour face, spotting the motorcycle “that’s what that horrible noise was earlier. Hm… well, come in, don’t just stand there. You’re letting flies in.” she grabbed his arm and yanked him inside.</p><p>“I could just go back over” Harry protested.</p><p>“Nonsense, if you’re here they’ll come sooner, and we really must be leaving soon.” She ushered Harry into the kitchen. Their kitchen was absolutely trashed by the remnants of birthday wrappings. All of Dudley’s new birthday presents scattered the floor, Harry spotted a new action figure that already had an arm missing.</p><p>“How many are there?” Harry asked, continuing to look around.</p><p>“37!” Dudley shouted from the breakfast table “And I’m getting two more!” he continued, spitting pieces of bacon as he spoke. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blond hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. “What’s <em>he </em>doing here?!” Dudley demanded, as if just realizing who he had been talking to.</p><p>“Aunt Lily is coming with us to the zoo with us popkin” Aunt Petunia smiled “and your cousin and uncle” she added quickly as if hoping to sneak this bit past him. Uncle Vernon grunted disdainfully from behind his newspaper. Dudley though began to cry loudly. He wasn’t really crying though — it had been years since he’d really cried — but he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted.</p><p>“Dinky Duddydums, don’t cry, Mummy won’t let them spoil your special day!” she cried, flinging her arms around him.</p><p>“I . . . don’t . . . want . . . him . . . t-t-to come!” Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. “He always sp-spoils everything!” He shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother’s arms.</p><p>Just then, the doorbell rang—“Oh, good Lord, that’ll be Piers!” said Aunt Petunia frantically— and a moment later, Dudley’s best friend, Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat. He was usually the one who held people’s arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.</p><p>Harry sat at the breakfast table across from his uncle.</p><p>“I’m warning you,” Uncle Vernon abruptly said, wagging a large finger at Harry, “I’m warning you now, boy—any funny business, anything at all…”</p><p>Harry frowned, “I’m not going to do anything, honestly . . .”</p><p>Uncle Vernon grunted again and the doorbell rang a second time.</p><p>“Lily! Dudley did the cutest thing today!” Aunt Petunia said, back in her shrill excited voice. Harry ran over to get away from Uncle Vernon’s stare.</p><p>Aunt Petunia was guiding Lily down the hall telling her all about how Dudley was learning how to get his moneys worth just like his father.</p><p>“I’ll just close the door then” Harry heard his dad mumble as he stepped inside and closed the door. Harry ran up to him.</p><p>“Dad, can’t mum just go and we stay with Sirius and Uncle Remus?”</p><p>“I wish, bud. We’ve got to support your mum though.” James said, as though he was even trying to convince himself. He brushed some hair behind Harry’s ear “but that doesn’t mean we can’t cause some mischief” he gave his charming wink and smile, then took Harry’s hand and led him into the kitchen with everyone else.</p><p>“Morning Vernon” James smiled, politely. Uncle Vernon simply grunted and looked James up and down. He then proceeded to look Harry up and down then said “You could both do with a hair cut”</p><p>“Nah, our hair is just as untamable as us ol’ chap” James chortled.</p><p>Uncle Vernon’s face turned a slight purple, he apparently did not like being called “ol’ chap” especially not by James Potter. Harry quickly disguised a laugh as a cough, making his father’s grin less plastered.</p><p>“Now you—” Uncle Vernon started but Aunt Petunia quickly cut in.</p><p>“Now! Shouldn’t we be going then Vernon? Lily and… and er…”</p><p>“James” James said in a tone of false civility.</p><p> “Yes. They will be driving separately with Harry, and Piers will be riding with us” she looked lovingly at Dudley as he and Piers sniggered about something, most likely Harry.</p><p>“Lily will be driving I suppose?” Uncle Vernon stood up, finishing his coffee. If there was one thing above all others that Uncle Vernon liked to pick at James about it was that he did not know how to drive. Uncle Vernon judged people by the type of car they drove and, well, not knowing how to even drive was the worst kind of person to Vernon Dursley.</p><p>“Well unless we fl—” James started, but stopped at a savage look from his wife “I mean, yes. I haven’t quite gotten around to that license yet, perhaps you could teach me some time Vernon.” James plastered a polite smile on his face again.</p><p>Uncle Vernon’s face purpled even more and all he could manage was a indignant scoff before snatching his keys and saying gruffly “Let’s go Petunia”</p><p>“Yes dear” Aunt Petunia shot a look at James then ushered Piers and Dudley after Uncle Vernon.</p><p>Lily swatted James on the arm before following her sister.</p><p>“Ow—what’d I do?” he followed after her.</p><p>“See you in a little bit Tuni” Lily smiled and waved as she led the way to the car. Aunt Petunia smiled and waved back then slid into the passengers seat.</p><p>“You couldn’t just let it go” Lily immediately snapped at her husband.</p><p>“Wha—I did!” James gasped in mock offense.</p><p>The entire ride to the zoo, Harry’s parents bickered about James’ attitude and how he really should learn to drive. Harry had learned not to let their bickering bother him, because he knew they really did love each other. They’d usually forget whatever they were arguing about and be all lovey-dovey and making Harry want to barf again in no time. The snogging didn’t really gross him out, but he pretended it did, especially when Sirius was around.</p><p>Harry became lost in thought, staring out the window. He thought about his dream about the flying motorcycle and the giant. He then thought about what his Uncle had said about no funny business. Unlike his father, Harry really never intentionally caused mischief. He pondered about what Uncle Vernon could have meant. He couldn’t do all the splendid things his parents could do, he had to go to school to learn that stuff. This led to his worries about school. He would miss his family for certain, but what if he didn’t make any friends? That would make the homesickness worse. What if he didn’t fit in? What if he wasn’t accepted? Harry began to feel sick to his stomach imagining if he did not get into the school he so desperately wanted to attend. Would his parents be ashamed? Would Sirius be ashamed?</p><p>“Harry?” his mother’s voice pulled him from his thoughts again. Both his parents were looking at him from the front seat. Harry hadn’t even noticed they’d arrived and parked.</p><p>“You alright bud?” James inquired, looking concerned.</p><p>“Wha—uh yeah!” Harry put on a smile “Just thinking”</p><p>“You sure sweetheart?” Lily bit her lip.</p><p>“Yeah! Let’s go!” Harry tried to open the door.</p><p>Lily continued to look at him, still concerned, but after a moment smiled and unlocked the doors. They all climbed out of the car and joined the Dursleys and Piers. Lily walked beside her sister, but arm in arm with James.</p><p>Harry lagged behind, not wanting to get too close to Dudley and Piers.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. The Vanishing Glass</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A fantastic day at the zoo lands the Potters in trouble with the Dursleys when something quite unexpected happens.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy and comment if you like it!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a very sunny Saturday and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and James offered to get something for Harry. Harry, still not feeling well, declined, causing another worried look from both his parents. “I’m just not hungry!” he insisted and then turned to follow Dudley and Piers as they ran to the gorilla exhibit. He watched a gorilla scratching its head and made a low comment to his father about it looking just like Dudley. James grinned but said “Nah, not really” which made Harry frown. “He’s not got better hair” James muttered then with a wink, continued to eat the large ice cream he’d gotten and rejoined his wife.</p><p>Soon Harry had forgotten all about his worries and the trip turned into a quite pleasant morning. He was careful to add more distance between Dudley and Piers, as they got bored with the animals by lunchtime. He walked closer to his father as well, so they wouldn’t fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting him. They ate in the zoo restaurant, and Harry, who was quite hungry by that point, had a large order of fish and chips. When Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn’t have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one and Aunt Petunia offered Lily the rest of the first. Lily took it graciously, but Harry and James were the ones to eat most of it.</p><p>After lunch they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. James and Lily went to look at the large lizards across the room.</p><p>Harry found the largest snake in the place and Dudley quickly ran over and took credit for finding it when Piers ran over too. The snake could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon’s car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn’t look in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.</p><p>Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.</p><p>“Make it move,” he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn’t budge.</p><p>“Do it again,” Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.</p><p>“This is boring,” Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.</p><p>Harry moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. He wouldn’t have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It must’ve been worse than the time Harry spent the night at the Dursleys and was forced to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs. Lily didn’t speak to her sister for three whole weeks when this had happened.  </p><p>The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly, it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Harry’s.</p><p>
  <em>It winked. </em>
</p><p>Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren’t. He looked back at the snake and winked, too.</p><p>The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly:</p><p>“I get that all the time.”</p><p>“I know,” Harry murmured through the glass, though he wasn’t sure the snake could hear him. “It must be really annoying.”</p><p>The snake nodded vigorously.</p><p>“Where do you come from, anyway?” Harry asked.</p><p>The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Harry peered at it.</p><p>Boa Constrictor, Brazil.</p><p>“Was it nice there?”</p><p>The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Harry read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. “Oh, I see — so you’ve never been to Brazil?”</p><p>As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Harry made both of them jump. “DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT IT’S DOING!”</p><p>Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.</p><p>“Out of the way, you,” he said, punching Harry in the ribs. Caught by surprise, Harry fell hard on the concrete floor. What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next, they had leapt back with howls of horror.</p><p>Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor’s tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.</p><p>As the snake slid swiftly past him, Harry could have sworn a low, hissing voice said, “Brazil, here I come. . . . Thanksss, amigo.”</p><p>James and Lily were there in an instant. “Harry are you alright? What happened?” James helped him to his feet. Harry shook his head, he was just as shocked as everyone else. Perhaps, not as in shock as the keeper of the reptile house though.</p><p>“But the glass,” he kept saying, “where did the glass go?”</p><p>The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn’t done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were all back to the cars, Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Harry at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, “Harry was talking to it, weren’t you, Harry?”</p><p>James and Lily, who had remained silent during the trip to the directors office, suddenly looked at each other, then their son. Uncle Vernon’s face had turned redder than a tomato, but for to save face in front of Piers simply spluttered “Impossible—Car—Home—Now.”</p><p>Lily tried to pull her sister aside, but Aunt Petunia shoved her off and got in the car. James had to jump out of the way as Uncle Vernon backed out, obviously aiming to hit him. Lily watched the car drive away, when she turned back there were tears in her eyes.</p><p>“I’m sorry Mum… I don’t…” Harry started.</p><p>“No, you didn’t… It’s not your fault Harry” she pulled him into a hug. James rubbed Harry’s back and gently kissed Lily on the forehead.</p><p>“We should head home. I need to try and talk to her” Lily said after a moment and broke away.</p><p>The first half of the ride home was silent, then quite suddenly James broke the tense silence with a hearty laugh, “It really was brilliant though!” he grinned back at Harry, who was taken aback but smiled back, glad to see his father wasn’t cross with him.</p><p>“James!” Lily snapped.</p><p>“Well it was! Wait until Sirius hears!”</p><p>Lily simply frowned.</p><p>James sighed and sat back in his seat, shaking his head, smiling.</p><p>Sirius didn’t have to wait long to hear the story. He and Remus had remained at the house, watching tv. James’ story was just as fantastical, as Dudley’s and Piers’ had become. Harry listened to his father recall the tale, somewhat embarrassed and somewhat excited.</p><p>Lily had gone straight to her sister’s when they had arrived home. And she did not come home for several hours. When she did return home, she went straight to her and James’ room without saying a word. James and his friends had fallen silent when they heard the door open, and the sound of sobbing could be heard quite clearly now.</p><p>“Should I?” Remus offered.</p><p>“I’ve got it, thanks Mooney” James gave a small smile then headed up the stairs, leaving Harry with Sirius and Remus.</p><p>There were a few more moments of silence before Sirius broke it.</p><p>“So, Harry.” He leaned forward in his chair, causing the cat to leap off his lap. “I expect you’ll be getting your letter any day now”</p><p>“Letter?” Harry smiled.</p><p>“Sirius, if James and Lily haven’t revealed any more then necessary, we shouldn’t. It’s not our place—” Remus said cautiously.</p><p>“No! Tell me, I want to know!” Harry leaned forward excitedly</p><p>“I am his godfather, I’m sure they won’t mind” Sirius looked at Remus, who slightly shook his head.</p><p>“It’s not a secret! Especially after what happened today!” Sirius insisted.</p><p>“James and Lily should be the ones to tell him” Remus said, beginning to raise his voice.</p><p>“Oh, don’t use your Prefect voice on me!”</p><p>“Well it’s the only one that works”</p><p>“Prefect?” Harry interjected.</p><p>“Yeah” Sirius’ mischievous smiled returned “Its—”</p><p>“Not our place to tell him!” Remus scolded again.</p><p>Harry frowned at his Uncle then looked pleadingly at his godfather, who sighed. “Fine, fine. You’re right… always are” Sirius muttered.</p><p>“Can I get that in writing?” Remus raised his eyebrows.</p><p> Harry groaned and slouched in his seat.</p><p>Around 10 o’clock Lily and James came back downstairs. Lily’s eyes were red and puffy, and James held her hand comfortingly. Harry looked at his parents eagerly but was once again disappointed.</p><p>“Harry it’s time for bed” his mother said with a sniff.</p><p>“But—” he started but stopped at a scolding look from his father.</p><p>“Sirius and Remus, I’m sorry we didn’t get to spend more time together today, but could you please…” she trailed off.</p><p>“Don’t worry Lily. Come on Sirius, we should head back to the flat.”</p><p>“But—” Sirius also started to argue but was also shut down by a look from James.</p><p>Both Sirius and Harry groaned and trudged off toward the hallway. Sirius pulled on his leather jacket and grabbed his helmet.</p><p>“When are you coming to visit again?” Harry watched him.</p><p>“Soon I ‘spect” Sirius tousled his hair “Don’t worry, I’m sure your parents will explain everything tomorrow.”</p><p>That, however, was not the case. The next few days Harry spent hanging to his mother and father’s every word, waiting for them to give any sort of explanation. Clearly, the two had decided not to mention the incident at the zoo. It made his mother very upset whenever Harry brought it up, so he finally decided not to.</p><p>Lily continued to try to reach out to her sister, but Aunt Petunia was completely ignoring her. Even when they were both out back gardening, Aunt Petunia pretended that she did not hear her sister pleading to just talk. When Lily tried to just talk at her, she would go back inside.</p><p>There was a tenseness in the Potter household like there had never been before. Even James’ normal jovial behavior could not seem to pierce it. She reassured Harry over and over that she was not cross with him, but Harry felt like there was a part of her that was mad at Harry for hurting her and her sister’s relationship.</p><p>James and Harry spent a lot more time in Harry’s bedroom than usual as well. James said it wasn’t because he was avoiding Lily, but he often was. Lily was much more sensitive and snapped at her husband a lot more than usual. Harry couldn’t help but feel all this tension, or at least part of it, would go away if they simply explained what had happened at the zoo.</p><p>Finally, something happened that Lily and James simply couldn’t ignore. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Post on a Sunday</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>More weeks pass without any explanation from Harry's parents about the events at the zoo. Just as he gives up on asking, a mysterious tapping on the window interrupts a quiet Sunday breakfast.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy and comment if you like it!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>By the time that Aunt Petunia finally decided her sister had been punished enough, and allowed her to come “explain herself,” the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg, who had already broken her leg and had to hobble around on crutches.</p><p>Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley’s gang, who roamed the neighborhood every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley’s favorite sport: Harry Hunting.</p><p>This was why Harry spent as much time as possible inside his house or backyard, so they couldn’t find him or at least wouldn’t come near him. For some reason, Dudley was terrified of Harry’s father. Most likely because his father talked so badly about Mr. Potter all the time, so Dudley never dared step foot on the Potter’s property. Harry spent most of his time daydreaming about the end of holidays, where he could see a tiny ray of hope. He surely had to be accepted into his parents fantastical school any day now, and for the first time in his life, he had a chance of actually making friends without having to worry about Dudley.</p><p>Dudley would be attending a private school called Smeltings with his best friend Piers Polkiss. One day in July, Aunt Petunia invited Lily shopping. Only Lily though, because they still hadn’t forgiven Harry for the boa constrictor incident and of course they despised James even more than ever.</p><p>That evening though, Aunt Petunia paraded Dudley around the back yard, making sure all the neighbors heard and saw. Smeltings boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren’t looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.</p><p>James ran inside, announcing he had to use the bathroom, but he had already burst into laughter before the door closed. Ignoring this, Uncle Vernon gruffly announced it was the proudest moment of his life, as he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn’t believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn’t trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh and he wished he could run inside like his father had. But, Lily, being the supportive sister, she was, gave more praise to her nephew than he deserved.</p><p>The next morning, the Potter family sat around the breakfast table. James pretended to read the newspaper, but Harry knew he rearranged the pages so the comics would be where the actual news was. Lily cleared her throat importantly and began “James… Harry… There’s something I’ve—” but she was cut off by a loud tapping on the window.</p><p>Harry and Lily’s attention went right too it, but James’ gaze lingered on his wife for a few moments more.</p><p>“Is that… is that an owl?” Harry gasped.</p><p>James’ eyes suddenly darted excitedly towards the window as well.</p><p>“Why don’t you go let it in Harry?” Lily beamed.</p><p>“Let it in? Are you sure?” Harry furrowed his brow.</p><p>“Yeah! Go on!” James bounced a bit in his seat.</p><p>Harry looked at his parents for a moment then ran to the window and slid it open. A beautiful screech owl flew in dropped something on the kitchen counter then swept right back out the window. Harry watched it fly away, mesmerized and very confused.</p><p>“What was that about?” Harry spun to face his parents when the owl was just a speck in the sky. They simply exchanged excited glances. Harry furrowed his eyebrows again and walked over to what the owl had dropped.</p><p>“It’s a letter… but there’s no post on Sunday?”</p><p>James laughed “Well who’s it to then?”</p><p>Harry looked back at the envelope and in neat scroll was written:</p><p>
  <em>Mr. H. Potter</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The Kitchen </em>
</p><p>
  <em>5 Privet Drive</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Little Whinging </em>
</p><p><em>Surrey</em>    </p><p>The envelope was thick and heavy, made of yellowish parchment, and the address was written in emerald-green ink. There was no stamp. Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger, and a snake surrounding a large letter H.</p><p>“Well, go on! Open it!” James was on the edge of his seat.</p><p>Harry looked from his father to his mother and suddenly the confusion cleared. This is what he’d been waiting for, for the past 5 years, this was finally going to explain everything! He tore open the envelope, his hands now trembling with excitement. He pulled out the letter and read aloud:</p><p>HOGWARTS SCHOOL</p><p>of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY</p><p>***</p><p>Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore</p><p>(<em>Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, </em></p><p><em>Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards</em>)</p><p>Dear Mr. Potter,</p><p>We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.</p><p>Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.</p><p>Yours sincerely,</p><p>Minerva McGonagall,</p><p>
  <em>Deputy Headmistress</em>
</p><p>James whooped so loud it made Harry jump. Questions exploded inside Harry’s head like fireworks and he couldn’t decide which to ask first. Then one question was immediately answered, as from the cupboard under the stairs that had always been kept locked, burst a broomstick which shot straight into his father’s hand. This did not look like any ordinary broomstick that Harry used to sweep the floor, it was almost elegant.</p><p>“You’re witches!” Harry blurted out.</p><p>“James—put that back! This does not change that we still live in a muggle neighbourhood!” Lily immediately snatched the broom away from her husband. James sulked but Lily turned back to Harry with a calming deep breath “Yes, Harry. I am a witch. You and your father are wizards.”</p><p>“And… And you said… Muggle neighbourhood?” Harry stammered.</p><p>“Muggle is a term for nonmagical people” Lily nodded “Your grandparents, my parents, were both muggles. I got my letter from Hogwarts but…” she trailed off and Harry saw her glance towards the Dursley’s house.</p><p>“But your Aunt didn’t. Lily you have to stop blaming yourself.” James frowned.</p><p>“She really should have—” Lily started to retort, but Harry cut in.</p><p>“Sorry, but can we focus back on, the wizard thing! Why didn’t you tell me?”</p><p>“Because we’re supposed to blend in. If we told you before you were mature enough to understand that, you might’ve accidentally slipped up in front of any of the neighbours. Or, as you are now, you would’ve been curious and eager to test your powers, which also would have exposed us.” Lily explained calmly still.</p><p>“Exposed us?”</p><p>“To muggles, to people who may want to harm you.” James interjected, “we’ve told you the story about how someone powerful tried to hurt you when you were a baby. Well, he was a dark wizard, the darkest of our time, and he still has followers. Followers who still may want to cause you harm.”</p><p>Harry swallowed “kill me?”</p><p>Lily teared up, but both his parents nodded.</p><p>“But he’s gone now, and his followers are in prison. You are safe, but you are still safest among the muggles.” Lily explained.</p><p>“Tell me the story again, but… but don’t leave out anything…”</p><p>James and Lily looked at each other again.</p><p>“I don’t know Harry…” Lily bit her lip.</p><p>“He should know… we agreed that when he got his letter, we would tell him everything” James took her hand and she squeezed it.</p><p>“About twenty years ago now, a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort” both his parents tensed when James spoke the name “He—he started looking for followers. And he recruited lots of them—but some were afraid, some just wanted a bit of his power…” his expression darkened.</p><p>Lily squeezed his hand “They were dark days, Harry. Nobody knew who to trust, even us…” she sighed and looked at her husband again.</p><p>“Terrible things happened Harry, he was taking over.” James shook his head. “There were some that stood up to him — and he killed them. Horribly. One of the only safe places left was Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts” James pointed to the letter still in Harry’s hands “was the only one Voldemort was afraid of. He didn’t dare try taking over the school.”</p><p>“Voldemort, recruited as many powerful as possible and, well, your father and I were on his list. However, he knew we were close to Dumbledore, so we believe he marked us for dead instead. We were in hiding for a little while before he turned up in the village where we used to live. It was Halloween ten years ago, when you were a year old. He tried to kill you, but he couldn’t do it. And that’s how you, got your scar” James tapped his own forehead.</p><p>“That’s what happens when a powerful, evil curse touches you. He killed Grandma Bathilda and it even blew up our house, but it didn’t work on you. That’s why you’re famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided to kill them, no one except you. He killed some of the best witches and wizards of the age” Lily’s voice cracked “You were only a baby, and you lived.” Lily finished and there was a long silence.</p><p>Something very painful was going on in Harry’s mind. As the story ended, he saw in his mind something he’d dreamed about before but never gave a second thought. In this dream, he heard a scream, saw a blinding flash of green light, more clearly than he had ever remembered it before, and he remembered something else, for the first time in his life: a high, cold, cruel laugh.</p><p>“Are you okay?” James and Lily both watched him closely.</p><p>“But what happened to Voldemort?” Harry asked.</p><p>“Good question, Harry. He just disappeared. Vanished, that same night he tried to kill you. Which makes you even more famous, because that’s the biggest mystery. He was getting more and more powerful, so, why’d he go?” James shrugged.  </p><p>“Some say he died, but I don’t think he did” Lily furrowed her eyebrows in thought “I don’t think he had enough human left in him to die.”</p><p>“Other people say he’s still out there, biding his time. I don’ believe that because people who were on his side came back to ours, a lot of them came out of these kinds of trances. And I don’t think they could’ve, if he was coming back.” James shook his head.</p><p>“Most people believe he’s still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. Something about you finished him, Harry. Something happened that night he hadn’t counted on. We don’t know what it was, no one does — but something about you stumped him.” Lily gave a small, sad smile.</p><p>“But…” Harry hesitated “But I can’t do magic” he looked at the broom that was now leaning against the table.</p><p>“Sure you can! How do you think the glass disappeared at the zoo?” James smiled broadly, but Lily cast another gaze in the direction of the Dursley’s house. “Or ended up on the roof of the school when Dudley and his friends were chasing you?” James continued.</p><p>“Or when Aunt Petunia tried to shave my head, but the electric razor kept turning off?” Harry smiled.</p><p>“Wait, she did what?” James raised an eyebrow.</p><p>“But I didn’t intentionally do all those things. I didn’t know I was a wizard. How’d that happen?” Harry continued.</p><p>“She tried to shave—” James started but Lily cut him off.</p><p>“Young witches and wizards don’t always have control over their powers. Most of those things happened when you were scared or angry. You were a real nuisance when you wanted something” Lily beamed “You exploded my favorite cookie jar when I wouldn’t let you have a cookie before dinner”</p><p>Harry laughed. He couldn’t believe it, he was a wizard! So much made sense now and he felt like he was on the top of the world. The Potter family spent the rest of the night laughing and reminiscing. It was the happiest they’d been in weeks, and Harry couldn’t help think that nothing could spoil the rest of this year.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The Leaky Cauldron</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Waking up the day before he is to leave for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry eagerly awaits the arrival of his godfather and uncle for a day of shopping. When another mysterious speck appears in the sky it causes Harry's heart to sink, could it be another owl telling him there's been a mistake?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy and comment if you like it!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Harry woke early the morning two weeks after he’d gotten his letter. It was a particularly sunny July morning, so the sun burst through every crack in Harry’s curtains. He ran to the window and threw them open with a huge grin. Today was the day! His birthday.</p><p>His parents had been discussing their plans in whispers for the past weeks and today he was finally going to discover what they were whispering about. Sirius and Uncle Remus would be coming later for breakfast, along with a man called Hagger or something along those lines. Harry had no clue who this Haggin person was, but apparently he was going to join them “for extra protection” as Lily had told James when he tried to argue they’d be fine.</p><p>Harry was so nervous yet so excited that it felt like he had flying saucers in his stomach rather than butterflies. </p><p>He ran to his closet and grabbed the same jersey he had tried to wear to the zoo and pulled it on. He grinned at himself proudly in the mirror, made a try at straightening his hair which failed, before pulling on some pants and socks. He quietly opened his bedroom door, not wanting to wake his parents if they weren’t already up. Peering over the staircase railing he did not see any movement in the kitchen, so he retreated to his room to wait.</p><p>Sitting on his bed, he stared out the window, daydreaming about the days to come. As Harry stared into the bright morning sky, the sun rising behind him, he could spotted another small speck in the sky. His heart leapt, another owl! Then just as quickly as it had leapt, his heart sunk. What if they owl was carrying a letter saying “Dear Mr. Potter, we are writing to inform you that there has been a big mistake and unfortunately we can not accept you at Hogwarts.”</p><p>Harry blinked hoping it was just a dot in his eye, but it did not go away. He took off his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt, but still the speck did not go away, in fact it was growing. Then, what sounded like the revving of his godfather’s motorcycle filled the sky. Harry stared wide eyed as what he thought had been an owl, took form of a motorcycle. Just like in his dream! He pinched his arm hard, thinking he might still in fact be dreaming.</p><p>His fathers laugh and mother gasp from the other room confirmed that he could not be the only one who was seeing this. The motorcycle was descending rapidly and with another rev, landed smoothly on the street outside the Potter’s house. He ran to his door and threw it open. His mother stormed by in an obvious rage, with her husband close behind, pleading her to calm down.</p><p>“That blundering—he probably woke—what a foolish—” Lily shouted, not forming full sentences. Harry ran quickly after them to try and help his father, but Lily threw open the door and the jovial smile Harry glimpsed on his godfathers face immediately went slack.</p><p>“L-Lily—I- I can explain—” he held up his hands defensively.</p><p>“Get inside, now.” she growled, putting emphasize on every syllable.</p><p>“Nobody saw—” Sirius started but Lily seized him by his jacket collar and proceeded to yank him inside as he blundered apologies. Harry had not seen his mother so furious since his father had exploded some gooey substance all over her kitchen and left scorch marks on the stove and cabinets.    </p><p>Lily really let Sirius have it. James attempted to defend his friend but gave up after Lily turned on him. She was still shouting so loud, no one heard the doorbell ring. It wasn’t until the second ring that Lily snapped “not a word!” then stormed over, attempting to compose herself. She swung open the door, probably much faster than she intended, and plastered a smile on her face.</p><p>“Good morning Lily” Remus smiled sweetly then frowned “everything ok?”</p><p>“Oh good, its you, get in here” she yanked him in as well, causing him to stumble over his own feet. “We’re in here” she stormed back into the living room. Harry, James, and Sirius were still in an obedient silence. “Do you know what Sirius pulled this morning?” Lily huffed.</p><p>“No?” Remus answered with an anxious look at Sirius.</p><p>“He flew that loud—that piece of—that bloody motorcycle in plain sight, right into our street! Revving that stupid engine to wake all the neighbours up!”</p><p>“You didn’t?” Remus asked Sirius, calmly, but with a scornful frown.  </p><p>“Nobody was awake” Sirius said rather loudly.</p><p>Remus sighed and closed his eyes as if praying for patience.</p><p>“It’s 6 am, several, <em>several</em>, people could have been up” Lily began to pace “we’ll have to contact the ministry. This will be in all the papers. We’ll be in so much trouble.”</p><p>“Lily, deep breaths. It’ll be alright” Remus said soothingly “Sirius and I will take care of it. It’s Harry’s birthday, you should be spoiling him rotten right about now” Remus smiled kindly.</p><p>Lily looked up from watching the ground as she paced, “Oh my stars… oh Harry sweetheart, I’m so sorry. Happy birthday!” Lily rushed over and gave him an extremely tight hug.</p><p>“Yeah! Happy birthday kid!” Sirius jumped up from his seat and pulled a wrapped item seemingly from nowhere.</p><p>Harry grinned as his father tousled his hair, “thanks” he laughed.</p><p>“I’ll start breakfast” Lily rushed to the kitchen.</p><p>“Excellent! I’m starving” Sirius smiled.</p><p>“No, you and I are going to the ministry” Remus placed his wrapped present on the table next to Sirius’.</p><p>“But what about shopping with Harry” Sirius protested.</p><p>“You spoiled that when you flew a motorcycle into a muggle neighbourhood” Lily snapped and Remus nodded in agreement.</p><p>“Oh, can’t they come, please” Harry turned to his mother.</p><p>She gave him an apologetic smile and said in a much sweeter voice “no darling, this needs to get sorted out, your uncle is absolutely right”</p><p>“What if Moony goes and sorts it out, and I tag along?” Sirius asked hopefully “He is much better at that stuff then I am”</p><p>Remus frowned at him and Lily shook her head “he is not going to clean up your mess, if anything he should be allowed to come while you go. He approached our house like a normal person. You’re lucky he’s sweet enough to offer his help” she aggressively wagged a spatula at him as she talked.</p><p>Sirius turned to James for some back up, but all he got was an apologetic look.</p><p>“Fine.” Sirius frowned and snatched his helmet “Lets go Remus.” he quickly walked out.</p><p>With a sigh, Remus turned to Harry “I’m sorry this happened on your birthday. I really was looking forward to coming shopping with you.”</p><p>Harry mustered a small smile “s’okay”</p><p>Remus gave a half smile and headed out calling back “Love you all”</p><p>“You too” James and Lily called after him. And just as soon as they’d arrived, they were gone.</p><p>“You’re not his mother Lily” James finally spoke up.</p><p>“Well someone has to—” she started then stopped, looking at Harry then back to James “we’ll discuss it later, okay?”</p><p>With a deep breath James nodded, “hey why don’t you open your presents from Sirius and Uncle Remus?” he smiled at Harry.</p><p>“Alright!” Harry’s spirits raised, he’d always loved his gifts from them, they were often more unique then anything Dudley ever got.</p><p>Grabbing Sirius’ first he tore off the wrappings. It was a brilliantly colorful book with a golden winged ball on the front. In shimmering silver letters was written “Quidditch Through the Ages.” He read the title aloud and looked at his father “What’s Quidditch?”</p><p>“Only the best sport in the universe!” he smiled wide, and went to launch into an explanation but Lily cut in, setting a large stack of pancakes and bacon on the table “I’m sure you’ll learn all about it at school and from that book” she smiled.</p><p>James looked a bit deflated, but soon forgot his disappointment when he discovered the pancakes had chocolate bits in them. Harry smiled then grabbed his Uncle’s gift which was significantly heavier. He tore it open and found a heavy chess board, with drawers to store the pieces in. “Wow” Harry inspected it. He had to admit it was kind of a let down considering its weight and size.</p><p>“Oh that’s beautiful” Lily smiled and ran her hand over the board “Remus and I used to play wizards chess all the time. Maybe we can play a round later tonight?”</p><p>“Wizards chess?” Harry furrowed his eyebrows.</p><p>“You’ll see” she winked.</p><p>“Your mother is apparently enjoying being secretive today” James chuckled. Harry nodded in agreement, he found it a bit annoying. Did she want him going to school looking like an absolute idiot? Not knowing what quidditch was. Not knowing what made wizards chess different from chess. He knew absolutely nothing and he was starting school tomorrow. All three Potters jumped when there came a loud, booming knock on the door.</p><p>“That must be Hagrid” Lily rushed off to get the door again.</p><p>Harry looked inquisitively at his father, who mumbled something like “talk about a big spectacle.”</p><p>Harry did not know what his father meant until Lily returned with a man who just barely fit through the kitchen door. His face was almost completely hidden by a long, shaggy mane of hair and a wild, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. Harry could not help but gape, open mouthed at the giant. He somehow seemed familiar, but Harry had never seen such a large person before in his life.</p><p>“An’ here’s Harry!” said the giant. Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.</p><p>“Las’ time I saw you, you was only a baby,” said the giant. “Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh’ve got yer mum’s eyes.”</p><p>Lily beamed, “how was your journey?”</p><p>“Travel’d by port key. Not a big fan. Nope” the giant shook his head.</p><p>“You weren’t seen? Appearing out of nowhere.” James asked, with a glance at his wife.</p><p>“Nope. Popp’d up in the alley, ‘bout a mile that way” he pointed a large finger toward the kitchen wall, causing Lily to duck. “Er, sorry Lily.”</p><p>“No worries” she smiled “I’m glad some people know how to be discreet.”</p><p>James gave a sarcastic smile which she returned.</p><p>“Anyway — Harry,” said the giant, turning to face him again, “a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here — I mighta sat on it at some point, but it’ll taste all right.”</p><p>From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.</p><p>Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, “Who are you?”</p><p>The man chuckled.</p><p>“True, I haven’t introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts.” He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry’s whole arm.</p><p>“Would you like some breakfast Hagrid? Or tea?” Lily offered.</p><p>“No thank yeh, Lily. We mus’ get goin’ soon, eh?”</p><p>“My stars you’re absolutely right, it’ll be packed soon” Lily said, looking at the stove clock. “Are you ready Harry?” she smiled.</p><p>“Yes!” Harry said and very quickly finished his breakfast. Lily smiled and brushed his hair back gently.</p><p>“How are we getting there? Hagrid definitely won’t fit in the car.” James inquired, smiling apologetically at Hagrid.</p><p>“Don’ worry ‘bout it, I’ll take the train. Meet yeh there”</p><p>Sure enough, an hour later they arrived in London and found Hagrid waiting for them outside a rundown looking building.</p><p>“Here we are, the Leaky Cauldron. It’s a famous place.” Hagrid nodded.</p><p>It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub. If Hagrid hadn’t pointed it out, Harry wouldn’t have noticed it was there. The people hurrying by didn’t glance at it. Their eyes slid from the big book shop on one side to the record shop on the other as if they couldn’t see the Leaky Cauldron at all. In fact, Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he, his parents, and Hagrid could see it. Harry stuck close to his father as they walked in.</p><p>For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. A few old women were sitting in a corner, drinking tiny glasses of sherry. One of them was smoking a long pipe. A little man in a top hat was talking to the old bartender, who was quite bald and looked like a toothless walnut. The low buzz of chatter stopped when they walked in. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid; they waved and smiled at him, and the bartender reached for a glass, saying, “The usual, Hagrid?”</p><p>“Can’t, Tom, I’m on Hogwarts business,” said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry’s shoulder and making Harry’s knees buckle.</p><p>“Good Lord,” said the bartender, having just seemed to notice the Potter family, “is this — can this be — ?”</p><p>The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent. James’ hand tightened on Harry’s shoulder.</p><p>“Bless my soul,” whispered the old bartender, “Harry Potter . . . what an honor.”</p><p>He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes.</p><p>“And James and Lily Potter, welcome back, welcome back!”</p><p>Harry didn’t know what to say. Everyone was looking at him and his parents. The old woman with the pipe was puffing on it without realizing it had gone out. Hagrid was beaming. Lily was blushing and James still tense.</p><p>Then there was a great scraping of chairs and the next moment, Harry found himself separated from his parents, shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.</p><p>“Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can’t believe I’m meeting you at last.”</p><p>“So proud, Mr. Potter, I’m just so proud.”</p><p>“Always wanted to shake your hand — I’m all of a flutter.”</p><p>“Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can’t tell you, Diggle’s the name, Dedalus Diggle.”</p><p>“I’ve seen you before!” said Harry, recalling a shopping trip with his mother, as Dedalus Diggle’s top hat fell off in his excitement. “You bowed to me once in a shop.”</p><p>“He remembers!” cried Dedalus Diggle, looking around at everyone. “Did you hear that? He remembers me!”</p><p>Harry shook hands again and again — Doris Crockford kept coming back for more.</p><p>A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. One of his eyes was twitching.</p><p>“Professor Quirrell!” said Hagrid. “Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts.”</p><p>“P-P-Potter,” stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry’s hand, “ccan’t t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you.”</p><p>“What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?”</p><p>“D-Defense Against the D-D-Dark Arts,” muttered Professor Quirrell, as though he’d rather not think about it. “N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-PPotter?” He laughed nervously. “You’ll be g-getting all your equipment, I suppose? I’ve g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, m-myself.” He looked terrified at the very thought.</p><p>But the others wouldn’t let Professor Quirrell keep Harry to himself. It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. At last, Hagrid managed to make himself heard over the babble.</p><p>“Must get on — lots ter buy. Come on, Harry. James, Lily.”</p><p>Doris Crockford shook Harry’s hand one last time, and Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds. Hagrid grinned at Harry.</p><p>“Told yeh, didn’t I? Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin’ ter meet yeh — mind you, he’s usually tremblin’.”</p><p>“Is he always that nervous?” James asked, glancing over his shoulder.</p><p>“Oh, yeah. Poor bloke. Brilliant mind. He was fine while he was studyin’ outta books but then he took a year off ter get some first-hand experience. . . . They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o’ trouble with a hag — never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject — now, where’s me umbrella?”</p><p>Vampires? Hags? Harry’s head was swimming. His mother slid her hand into his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze. James, meanwhile had walked over to Hagrid who was counting bricks in the wall above the trash can.</p><p>“Here we go, three up, two across” his father pulled out something that resembled a stick. A wand? Harry wondered, watching his father closely.</p><p>He tapped the wall three times with the point of the wand. The brick he had touched quivered — it wriggled — in the middle, a small hole appeared — it grew wider and wider — a second later they were facing an archway large enough even for Hagrid, an archway onto a cobbled street that twisted and turned out of sight.</p><p>“Welcome,” said Hagrid, “to Diagon Alley.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Diagon Alley</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Harry gets his first taste of the magical world as he dives into the depths of Gringotts bank and gets his very own wand. He meets a future fellow Hogwarts student who he's not quite sure he likes. Returning home after an amazing birthday, his father gives him a gift beyond what Harry could've ever hoped for.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy and comment if you like it!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hagrid grinned at Harry’s amazement and James chuckled, patting his back and leading him forward through the archway. Harry looked quickly over his shoulder and saw the archway shrink instantly back into solid wall.</p><p>The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. Cauldrons — All Sizes — Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver — Self-Stirring — Collapsible, said a sign hanging over them.</p><p>“Yeah, you’ll be needin’ one,” said Hagrid, “but we gotta get yer money first.”</p><p>Harry wished he had about eight more eyes. He turned his head in every direction as they walked up the street, trying to look at everything at once: the shops, the things outside them, the people doing their shopping. A plump woman outside an Apothecary was shaking her head as they passed, saying, “Dragon liver, sixteen Sickles an ounce, they’re mad…”</p><p>A low, soft hooting came from a dark shop with a sign saying Eeylops Owl Emporium — Tawny, Screech, Barn, Brown, and Snowy. Several boys of about Harry’s age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it. “Look,” Harry heard one of them say, “the new Nimbus Two Thousand — fastest ever —” James walked on his tiptoes, trying to glimpse the Nimbus Two Thousand. Lily smiled, holding his hand so he didn’t wander over.</p><p>There were shops selling robes, shops selling telescopes and strange silver instruments Harry had never seen before, windows stacked with barrels of bat spleens and eels’ eyes, tottering piles of spell books, quills, and rolls of parchment, potion bottles, globes of the moon…</p><p>“Gringotts,” said Hagrid.</p><p>They had reached a snowy white building that towered over the other little shops. Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, wearing a uniform of scarlet and gold, was —</p><p>“That’s a goblin,” Lily whispered quietly as they walked up the white stone steps toward him. The goblin was about a head shorter than Harry. He had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and, Harry noticed, very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now they were facing a second pair of doors, silver this time, with words engraved upon them:</p><p>
  <em>Enter, stranger, but take heed </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Of what awaits the sin of greed, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>For those who take, but do not earn, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Must pay most dearly in their turn. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>So if you seek beneath our floors </em>
</p><p>
  <em>A treasure that was never yours, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Thief, you have been warned, beware </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Of finding more than treasure there. </em>
</p><p>“Yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob this place,” said Hagrid in a low voice.</p><p>“Why?” Harry asked, still looking around at the high marble columns.</p><p>“Spells — enchantments,” said Hagrid. “They say there’s dragons guardin’ the high-security vaults. And then yeh gotta find yer way — Gringotts is hundreds of miles under London, see. Deep under the Underground. Yeh’d die of hunger tryin’ ter get out, even if yeh did manage ter get yer hands on summat.”</p><p>Harry blinked, “Did you say dragons?”</p><p>“Well, so they say,” said Hagrid. “Crikey, I’d like a dragon.”</p><p>“You’d <em>like</em> one?”</p><p>“Wanted one ever since I was a kid — here we go.”</p><p>A pair of goblins bowed them through the silver doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About a hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses. There were too many doors to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of these. The four made for the counter.</p><p>“Morning,” said Hagrid to a free goblin. “We’ve come ter take some money outta the Potter’s safe.”</p><p>“You have his key, sir?”</p><p>Lily looked up at James, who, like Harry was distracted by his surroundings.</p><p>“Hm—Oh! Got it here somewhere,” said he patted his chest, feeling his shirt pockets and groping in his coat pockets. Harry watched the goblin on their right weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals.</p><p>“Got it,” said James said triumphantly at last, holding up a tiny golden key.</p><p>The goblin looked at it closely.</p><p>“That seems to be in order.”</p><p>“An’ I’ve also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore,” said Hagrid importantly, throwing out his chest. “It’s about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen.”</p><p>The goblin read the letter carefully.</p><p>“Very well,” he said, handing it back to Hagrid, “I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!”</p><p>Griphook was yet another goblin. They followed Griphook toward one of the doors leading off the hall.</p><p>“What’s the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen?” Harry asked.</p><p>“Can’t tell yeh that,” said Hagrid mysteriously. “Very secret. Hogwarts business. Dumbledore’s trusted me. More’n my job’s worth ter tell yeh that.”</p><p>Lily and James exchanged looks, James giving a small shrug.</p><p>Griphook held the door open for them. Harry, who had expected more marble, was surprised. They were in a narrow stone passageway lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply downward and there were little railway tracks on the floor. Griphook whistled  and a cart came hurtling up the tracks toward them. They all climbed in, with some difficulty due to Hagrid’s size, then they were off.</p><p>At first they just hurtled through a maze of twisting passages. Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible. The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, because Griphook wasn’t steering.</p><p>Harry’s eyes stung as the cold air rushed past them, but he kept them wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage and twisted around to see if it was a dragon, but too late — they plunged even deeper, passing an underground lake where huge stalactites and stalagmites grew from the ceiling and floor.</p><p>“I never know,” Harry called to his father over the noise of the cart, “what’s the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?”</p><p>“Stalagmite’s got an ‘m’ in it,” said James, grinning wide. Harry laughed then looked up at Hagrid who looked very green.</p><p>When the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall to stop his knees from trembling.</p><p>Griphook unlocked the door. A lot of green smoke came billowing out, and as it cleared, Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts. Harry gaped — it was incredible.</p><p>James piled some of it into a bag.</p><p>“The gold ones are Galleons,” he explained. “Seventeen silver Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle, it’s easy enough.” James plopped the bag into Harry’s hand “Keep it safe.” He smiled, then pulled out another bag and put some more in for himself and Lily.</p><p>Hagrid turned to Griphook. “Vault seven hundred and thirteen now, please, and can we go more slowly?”</p><p>“One speed only,” said Griphook.</p><p>They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. The air became colder and colder as they hurtled round tight corners. They went rattling over an underground ravine, and Harry leaned over the side to try to see what was down at the dark bottom, but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.</p><p>Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole.</p><p>“Stand back,” said Griphook importantly. He stroked the door gently with one of his long fingers and it simply melted away.</p><p>“If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they’d be sucked through the door and trapped in there,” said Griphook.</p><p>“How often do you check to see if anyone’s inside?” Harry asked. “About once every ten years,” said Griphook with a rather nasty grin.</p><p>Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top security vault, Harry was sure, and he leaned forward eagerly, expecting to see fabulous jewels at the very least — but at first, he thought it was empty. Then he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. Hagrid picked it up and tucked it deep inside his coat. Harry longed to know what it was but knew better than to ask.</p><p>“Come on, back in this infernal cart, and don’t talk to me on the way back, it’s best if I keep me mouth shut,” said Hagrid.</p><p>One wild cart ride later they stood blinking in the sunlight outside Gringotts. Harry didn’t know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. He didn’t have to know how many Galleons there were to a pound to know that he was holding more money than he’d had in his whole life — more money than even Dudley had ever had.</p><p>“Might as well get yer uniform,” said Hagrid, nodding toward Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions. “Would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? I hate them Gringotts carts.” He did still look a bit sick, so Harry and his parents entered Madam Malkin’s shop.</p><p>Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.</p><p>“Hogwarts, dear?” she said, when Harry started to speak. “Got the lot here — another young man being fitted up just now, in fact.”</p><p>Lily smiled and gave him a gentle push forward, then walked over to some of the racks with her husband.</p><p>In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second witch pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length.</p><p>“Hello,” said the boy, “Hogwarts, too?”</p><p>“Yes,” said Harry.</p><p>“My father’s next door buying my books and Mother’s up the street looking at wands,” said the boy. He had a bored, drawling voice. “Then I’m going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don’t see why first years can’t have their own. I think I’ll bully Father into getting me one and I’ll smuggle it in somehow.”</p><p>Harry was strongly reminded of Dudley.</p><p>“Have you got your own broom?” the boy went on.</p><p>“No,” said Harry.</p><p>“Play Quidditch at all?” 

</p><p>“No,” Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.</p><p>“<em>I</em> do — Father says it’s a crime if I’m not picked to play for my House, and I must say, I agree. Know what House you’ll be in yet?”</p><p>“No,” said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.</p><p>“Well, no one really knows until they get there, do they, but I know I’ll be in Slytherin, all our family have been.”</p><p>“Mmm,” said Harry, wishing he could say something a bit more interesting.</p><p>“I say, look at that man!” said the boy suddenly, nodding toward the front window. Hagrid was standing there, grinning at Harry and holding up four large ice creams to show he couldn’t come in.</p><p>“That’s Hagrid,” said Harry, pleased to know something the boy didn’t. “He works at Hogwarts.”</p><p>“Oh,” said the boy, “I’ve heard of him. He’s a sort of servant, isn’t he?” 

</p><p>“He’s the gamekeeper,” said Harry. He was liking the boy less and less every second.</p><p>“Yes, exactly. I heard he’s a sort of savage — lives in a hut on the school grounds and every now and then he gets drunk, tries to do magic, and ends up setting fire to his bed.”</p><p>“I think he’s brilliant,” said Harry coldly.</p><p>“<em>Do</em> you?” said the boy, with a slight sneer. “Why is he with you? Where are your parents?”</p><p>“They’re over there,” said Harry shortly. He didn’t feel much like going into the matter with this boy.</p><p>“Oh, so why is he here?” said the other, not even looking around for Harry’s parents. “They are our kind, aren’t they?”</p><p>“They’re a witch and wizard, if that’s what you mean.”</p><p>“I really don’t think they should let the other sort in, do you? They’re just not the same, they’ve never been brought up to know our ways. Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, imagine. I think they should keep it in the old wizarding families. What’s your surname, anyway?”</p><p>But before Harry could answer, Madam Malkin said, “That’s you done, my dear,” and Harry, not sorry for an excuse to stop talking to the boy, hopped down from the footstool.</p><p>“Well, I’ll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose,” said the drawling boy.</p><p>Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice cream Hagrid had bought him (chocolate and raspberry with chopped nuts).</p><p>“What’s up?” asked his mother.</p><p>“Nothing,” Harry lied, causing her to purse her lips and look at her husband who was quite contently eating his ice cream.</p><p>They stopped to buy parchment and quills. Harry cheered up a bit when he found a bottle of ink that changed color as you wrote. When they had left the shop, Lily and James walked a ways ahead so Harry too the opportunity to ask, “Hagrid, what’s Quidditch? Mum says I’ll learn about it at school but—”</p><p>“Blimey, Harry, I keep forgettin’ how little yeh know — not knowin’ about Quidditch!”</p><p>“Don’t make me feel worse,” said Harry. He told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin’s.</p><p>“— and he said people from Muggle families shouldn’t even be allowed in —”</p><p>“Yer not from a Muggle family. If he’d known who yeh were — he’s grown up knowin’ yer name if his parents are wizardin’ folk. You saw what everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was like when they saw yeh. Anyway, what does he know about it, some o’ the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in ’em in a long line o’ Muggles — look at yer mum! Look what she has fer a sister!”</p><p>“So what is Quidditch?”</p><p>“It’s our sport. Wizard sport. It’s like — like football in the Muggle world — everyone follows Quidditch — played up in the air on broomsticks and there’s four balls — sorta hard ter explain the rules.”</p><p>“And what is Slytherin?”</p><p>“It’s a School House. There’s four. Slytherin hasn’t produced a single witch or wizard who didn’t go bad,” said Hagrid darkly. “You-Know-Who was one.”</p><p>“Voldemort—”</p><p>“Don’ say ‘is name” Hagrid said quickly, shuddering.</p><p>“Er—sorry, You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?”  </p><p>“Years an’ years ago,” said Hagrid.</p><p>They bought Harry’s school books in a shop called Flourish and Blotts where the shelves were stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all. Even Dudley, who never read anything, would have been wild to get his hands on some of these. Lily almost had to drag Harry away from <em>Curses and Counter-curses (Bewitch Your Friends and Befuddle Your Enemies with the Latest Revenges: Hair Loss, Jelly-Legs, Tongue-Tying and Much, Much More)</em> by Professor Vindictus Viridian.</p><p>“I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley.”</p><p>This made James laugh so hard he was gasping for air as they left the shop.</p><p> Lily frowned at her husband than said to Harry, “You’re not to use magic in the Muggle world except in very special circumstances, especially not on your cousin!”</p><p>“An’ anyway, yeh couldn’ work any of them curses yet, yeh’ll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level.” Hagrid interjected.</p><p>They wouldn’t let Harry buy a solid gold cauldron, either, “It says pewter on your list.”</p><p>However, they got a nice set of scales for weighing potion ingredients and a collapsible brass telescope. Then they visited the Apothecary, which was fascinating enough to make up for its horrible smell, a mixture of bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. While Lily asked the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Harry, Harry himself examined silver unicorn horns at twenty-one Galleons each and minuscule, glittery-black beetle eyes (five Knuts a scoop).</p><p>Outside the Apothecary, James checked Harry’s list.</p><p>“Just your wand left” James grinned. “Why don’t you do this part alone? Your mother and I have some shopping to do”</p><p>“Me too, I’d like ter get you a birthday present Harry.”</p><p>Harry felt himself go red.</p><p>“You don’t have to—”</p><p>“I know I don’t have to. Tell yeh what, I’ll get yer animal. Not a toad, toads went outta fashion years ago, yeh’d be laughed at — an’ I don’ like cats, they make me sneeze. I’ll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they’re dead useful, carry yer mail an’ everythin’. Why don’ you come with me then I’ll take you ter Ollivander’s.”</p><p>Harry’s parents went off on their own while Harry went to pick out an owl with Hagrid. Twenty minutes later, they left Eeylops Owl Emporium, which had been dark and full of rustling and flickering, jewel-bright eyes. Harry now carried a large cage that held a beautiful snowy owl, fast asleep with her head under her wing. He couldn’t stop stammering his thanks, sounding just like Professor Quirrell.</p><p>“Don’ mention it,” said Hagrid gruffly. “Just Ollivander’s left now — only place fer wands, Ollivander’s, and yeh gotta have the best wand.”</p><p>A magic wand…this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.</p><p>The last shop was narrow and shabby. Peeling gold letters over the door read Ollivander’s: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window.</p><p>A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a tiny place, empty except for a single, spindly chair that Hagrid sat on to wait. Harry felt strangely as though he had entered a very strict library; he swallowed a lot of new questions that had just occurred to him and looked instead at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. For some reason, the back of his neck prickled. The very dust and silence in here seemed to tingle with some secret magic.</p><p>“Good afternoon,” said a soft voice. Harry jumped. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair.</p><p>An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.</p><p>“Hello,” said Harry awkwardly.</p><p>“Ah yes,” said the man. “Yes, yes. I thought I’d be seeing you soon. Harry Potter.” It wasn’t a question. “You have your mother’s eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work.”</p><p>Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. Harry wished he would blink. Those silvery eyes were a bit creepy.</p><p>“Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it — it’s really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course.”</p><p>Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. Harry could see himself reflected in those misty eyes.</p><p>“And that’s where…” Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry’s forehead with a long, white finger.</p><p>“I’m sorry to say I sold the wand that did it,” he said softly. “Thirteen-anda-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands…well, if I’d known what that wand was going out into the world to do…”</p><p>He shook his head and then, to Harry’s relief, spotted Hagrid.</p><p>“Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again…Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn’t it?”</p><p>“It was, sir, yes,” said Hagrid.</p><p>“Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?” said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern.</p><p>“Er — yes, they did, yes,” said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. “I’ve still got the pieces, though,” he added brightly.</p><p>“But you don’t use them?” said Mr. Ollivander sharply.</p><p>“Oh, no, sir,” said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.</p><p>“Hmmm,” said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look. “Well, now — Mr. Potter. Let me see.” He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. “Which is your wand arm?”</p><p>“Er — well, I’m right-handed,” said Harry.</p><p>“Hold out your arm. That’s it.” He measured Harry from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. As he measured, he said, “Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, Mr. Potter. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard’s wand.”</p><p>Harry suddenly realized that the tape measure, which was measuring between his nostrils, was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.</p><p>“That will do,” he said, and the tape measure crumpled into a heap on the floor. “Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. Just take it and give it a wave.” Harry took the wand and (feeling foolish) waved it around a bit, but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once.</p><p>“Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try —”</p><p>Harry tried — but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Mr. Ollivander.</p><p>“No, no — here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out.”</p><p>Harry tried. And tried. He had no idea what Mr. Ollivander was waiting for. The pile of tried wands was mounting higher and higher on the spindly chair, but the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.</p><p>“Tricky customer, eh? Not to worry, we’ll find the perfect match here somewhere — I wonder, now — yes, why not — unusual combination — holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.”</p><p>Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls. Hagrid whooped and clapped and Mr. Ollivander cried, “Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well…how curious…how very curious…”</p><p>He put Harry’s wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, “Curious . . . curious . . .”</p><p>“Sorry,” said Harry, “but what’s curious?”</p><p>Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare.</p><p>“I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar.”</p><p>Harry swallowed.</p><p>“Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember…I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-BeNamed did great things — terrible, yes, but great.”</p><p>Harry shivered. He wasn’t sure he liked Mr. Ollivander too much. He paid seven gold Galleons for his wand, and Mr. Ollivander bowed them from his shop.</p><p>The late afternoon sun hung low in the sky as James and Lily rejoined Harry and Hagrid. They had several parcels and had also purchased a lovely barn owl. They made their way back down Diagon Alley, back through the wall, back through the Leaky Cauldron, now empty. Harry didn’t speak at all as they walked down the road.</p><p>“Got time fer a bite to eat before yeh head home” Hagrid asked.</p><p>Lily insisted on paying for the four of them to eat despite Hagrids protests. They all got hamburgers and they sat down on plastic seats to eat them. Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.</p><p>“You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet,” said Hagrid.</p><p>Harry wasn’t sure he could explain. He’d just had the best birthday of his life — and yet — he chewed his hamburger, trying to find the words.</p><p>“Everyone thinks I’m special,” he said at last. “All those people in the Leaky Cauldron, Professor Quirrell, Mr. Ollivander… but I don’t know anything about magic at all. How can they expect great things? I’m famous and I can’t even remember what I’m famous for. I don’t know what happened when Vol-, sorry — I mean, the night we were attacked.”</p><p>James and Lily once again exchanged looks, which Harry was starting to find more and more annoying.</p><p>It was Hagrid who leaned across the table. Behind the wild beard and eyebrows he wore a very kind smile.</p><p>“Don’ you worry, Harry. You’ll learn fast enough. Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, you’ll be just fine. Just be yerself. I know it’s hard. Yeh’ve been singled out, an’ that’s always hard. But yeh’ll have a great time at Hogwarts — I did — still do, ’smatter of fact.”</p><p>Harry smiled a bit, liking Hagrid more and more by the minute.</p><p>When they got back to the car Hagrid gave Harry a pat on the back and Lily hugged him tightly, thanking him for coming.</p><p>Hagrid grinned, then asked “Yer ticket fer Hogwarts,” he said. “First o’ September — King’s Cross — it’s all on yer ticket. If yeh run in ter any problems, send me a letter with yer owl, she’ll know where to find me… See yeh soon, Harry.”</p><p>When they got home and settled in the living room, Lily placed a package in Harry’s lap. “One last present to open” she smiled.</p><p>Harry grinned and ripped off the packaging. Inside was what appeared to be a set of marbles. “Oh, wow… thanks”</p><p>“They’re called gobstones! It’s another wizarding game, I used to belong to the club, maybe you could join too.” Lily beamed.</p><p>“I’ll look into it” Harry nodded.</p><p>James gave him a smile “Alright, well I think its time for bed young man. I’ll help you carry some of your stuff up.”</p><p>They walked upstairs together, Harry’s owl hooting softly.</p><p>“You gotta give her a name” James said as they walked into his room.</p><p>“I will” Harry nodded and gently set her cage on his dresser.</p><p>James closed the door, “hey, I have something for you” he said, lowering his voice, “Your mom didn’t approve, but I want you to have something a bit better than gobstones for your birthday” he winked.</p><p>Harry grinned excitedly and James withdrew a package from behind his back.</p><p>He quickly unwrapped it and a silky material unfurled in his lap.</p><p>“Wow… a cloak… thanks dad” Harry smiled the same as he had upon unwrapping the gobstones. To Harry’s surprise his father laughed.</p><p>“Try it on” he winked.</p><p>Harry stood up, holding the cloak, which was much lighter than it appeared. He wrapped it around himself. It fell a few inches passed his ankles, well… where his ankles should have been. Harry gasped when he saw that they, nor the his entire body was there.</p><p>He turned to his mirror and to his astonishment, his eyes had not deceived him. He stared at his floating head in the mirror with wide eyes.</p><p>James grinned ear to ear “It’s an invisibility cloak. It’s very rare. Helped me, Sirius, Remus, and— it helped us out a lot in school”</p><p>“Thanks dad!” Harry ran and hugged him tight.</p><p>James laughed and hugged him tightly back. He sighed softly and didn’t let go for a moment longer than Harry. “I love you” he smiled and finally let go.</p><p>“I love you too dad” Harry grinned.</p><p>James sighed softly again, then tousled Harry’s hair. “Put it in the bottom of your trunk so your mother doesn’t see, then get some sleep.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Harry smiled “Thanks dad.”</p><p>James kissed his forehead and left the room as Lily walked in. She kissed his cheek “I love you so much,” she said.</p><p>“You too” Harry smiled and climbed into bed.</p><p>“Good night sweetheart” she tucked him in then left the room, turning out the light. Harry couldn’t believe he still had to wait an entire month before getting to go to school. He’d never looked forward to something more in his life. It took him an hour to finally fall asleep, but as he did, he slipped into an amazing dream.    </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The Journey from Platform Nine and Three Quarters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A new chapter of Harry's life begins as he starts his journey to Hogwarts. Meeting new friends and even new foes along the route.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy and comment if you like it!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Besides the excitement of the prospect of attending Hogwarts in September, Harry’s last month at home was rather drearier than he’d anticipated. Sirius had not been to visit since his birthday. According to Uncle Remus, Sirius was upset at the way Lily had yelled at him and forced him to skip Harry’s birthday celebrations. Lily refused to apologize because she had every right to be upset. Lack of Sirius’ visits which made Harry’s father rather sulky. On top of this, Aunt Petunia was once again punishing her sister because Lily had suggested driving to King’s Cross Station together since Harry would also be starting school. This led to his mother being rather sad again and his father being upset that she continuously kept trying and giving, but received nothing but punishment and tears in return from Petunia. This led to arguments because “Family is important!” to which James retorted “Yes unless they are toxic.” Harry felt he sided with his father but never spoke up about it. He’d never had a sibling, but seeing his mother and aunt’s relationship made him feel that he wasn’t missing much.</p><p>So, Harry kept to his room, with his owl for company and occasionally his mother, father, or Uncle Remus usually never at the same time. He had decided to call his owl Hedwig, a name he had found in <em>A History of Magic </em>which was written by his surrogate grandmother. All of his schoolbooks were very interesting. He would lay on his bed reading late into the night, Hedwig swooping in and out of the open window as she pleased. He’d written a letter to Sirius, asking him to visit, but had received no answer as of yet. Finally, on the last night of August, Hedwig swooped in and dropped a letter right in Harry’s lap. The envelope simply read: <em>Harry.</em></p><p>He tore it open and read:</p><p>
  <em>Harry,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Glad to see you’ve got an owl. Now you can keep me informed of all the mischief you get up to in school. I’m sorry I haven’t been to visit. I’d rather not get into another heated argument with your mother in front of you again. Sorry if that spoiled your birthday. I’m glad you liked your present. I couldn’t let James Potter’s son go to Hogwarts with no knowledge of Quidditch.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Remus, your father, and your letter have convinced me to come and see you off tomorrow. And considering you are my favorite Potter I’d like to see you again before you’re gone for most of the year. So, I will see you soon.</em>
</p><p><em>Sirius  </em>   </p><p>Harry grinned and folded up the letter, then gave Hedwig a treat and stroked her feathers. He closed up <em>Quidditch Through the Ages </em>and put it in his trunk and then shut it. His mother had promised to help him pack in the morning, but Harry was too excited to leave it until morning. He hopped in bed and turned out the light.</p><p>Due to his anticipation and excitement, he was still awake an hour later when his parents quietly crept in to kiss him goodnight. It took him another three full hours before he finally fell asleep.</p><p>The next morning he woke up with a start as his father burst in. “Harry! You’re going to Hogwarts today!” he announced.</p><p>“James!” Lily laughed, following him in with breakfast on a tray.</p><p>“Lily!” </p><p>“Shush” she giggled.</p><p>Harry grinned broadly “I don’t mind,” he said but gave a big yawn as she walked over.</p><p>She smiled “here’s breakfast, we let you sleep as late as possible. I snuck in here to pack for you, but saw you’d already done it! Glad to see you take after me in organization.”</p><p>Harry laughed, his father still exclaiming his proudness.</p><p>“So, we have to leave in a little over a half-hour” his mother continued, “eat up and get dressed. We’ll be ready downstairs.”</p><p>With a smile, she pulled out her wand, something Harry had yet to see her do, and with an almost delicate flick, Harry’s trunk rose off the ground and followed her out of the room. James plopped heavily onto the bed as Harry started to eat.</p><p>“Are you excited?”</p><p>“Mmhm” Harry mumbled through a mouthful of waffle.</p><p>“You’re gonna make some great friends. I just know it” he smiled. “Sirius and I met on the train to Hogwarts”</p><p>Harry swallowed a mouthful of sausage “Really?” </p><p>“Yeah! We sat on the train together, I also met your mom on the train.”</p><p>“Did you like her?” Harry grinned.</p><p>“Not right away, she seemed stuck up at first, and I still believed girls were gross” he laughed and Harry laughed too. “It wasn’t until third year that I really noticed her, then I had it bad. Still do.”</p><p>“Gross” Harry made a face and James laughed.</p><p>“Eat your breakfast” he stood up and headed downstairs.</p><p>Harry smiled, shook his head then finished his breakfast. He put on the outfit he’d laid out, jeans and a sweater, grabbed Hedwig in her cage, and ran downstairs.</p><p>“Ready!” he announced.</p><p>They packed up the car, Lily giving a hopeful wave to her sister who was also packing Dudley’s things. Aunt Petunia pretended not to see and walked rather quickly back inside. Harry heard his father very quietly call her a rude name under his breath. And with that, they were on their way.</p><p>Harry pulled out his train ticket for the first time and read it over carefully. His eyes stopped on the platform number, which he read thrice over. “Platform nine and three quarters?” he looked up at his parents.</p><p>Both exchanged smiles. “Is it?” his mother asked.</p><p>Harry groaned, tired of these mysterious answers.</p><p>“You’ll see” James laughed “Don’t get your wand in a knot.”</p><p>Harry sighed and looked out the window. At half-past ten, they arrived at Kings Cross Station. James grabbed Harry a cart and loaded his trunk and Hedwig onto it. The three walked quickly inside and soon were standing between platforms nine and ten. Harry looked back and forth between them, looking for nine and three quarters, but it was not there.</p><p>“James, Lily, Harry!” Remus was waving at them as he approached, Sirius at his side. Sirius’ hair was pulled back in a hair tie, he had on sunglasses, and he was walking with his hands in his pockets. He just looked <em>cool</em>.</p><p>Lily smiled and waved back to Remus. They embraced as Harry also hugged Sirius. Sirius chuckled and patted his back “You ready for the best year of your life?”</p><p>“Yeah” Harry grinned and stepped back, looking up at his godfather who grinned back, then hugged James.</p><p>“Alright! Onto the platform, don’t want to be late!” Lily ushered Harry toward the dividing barrier between the two platforms.</p><p>“Watch and learn young Harry” Sirius hurried forward, looked around, then very coolly leaned back against the platform. Harry blinked and his godfather had disappeared. He widened his eyes then looked at his father who laughed.</p><p>“All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don’t stop and don’t be scared you’ll crash into it, that’s very important. I’ll go with you, we’ll take it at a bit of a run.”  James explained. Harry swallowed hard and stared at the barrier, it looked very solid.</p><p>He took a deep breath and they started to walk toward it. People bustled all around them on their way to platforms nine and ten. Harry felt his father speed up so he did too. They were going to smash right into that barrier and then he’d be in trouble — leaning forward on his cart, he broke into a heavy run with his father— the barrier was coming nearer and nearer — they wouldn’t be able to stop — the cart was out of control — they were a foot away — he closed his eyes ready for the crash —</p><p>But it didn’t come…he felt his father give a soft squeeze on his arm to stop him from continuing to run…he opened his eyes.   </p><p>A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, eleven o’clock. Harry looked behind him and saw a wrought-iron archway where the barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters on it. He had done it.</p><p>Smoke from the engine drifted over the heads of the chattering crowd, while cats of every color wound here and there between their legs. Owls hooted to one another in a disgruntled sort of way over the babble and the scraping of heavy trunks.</p><p>The first few carriages were already packed with students, some hanging out of the window to talk to their families, some fighting over seats.</p><p>“Why don’t you try to find a carriage, we’ll wait for your mother and Remus.” James squeezed his shoulder. Harry looked around and pushed his cart off down the platform in search of an empty seat. He passed a round-faced boy who was saying, “Gran, I’ve lost my toad again.”</p><p>“Oh, Neville,” he heard the old woman sigh.</p><p>A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd.</p><p>“Give us a look, Lee, go on.”</p><p>The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms, and the people around him shrieked and yelled as something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.</p><p>Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment near the end of the train. He put Hedwig inside first and then started to shove and heave his trunk toward the train door. He tried to lift it up the steps but could hardly raise one end and twice he dropped it painfully on his foot.</p><p>“Want a hand?” a tall red-headed boy with freckles came up beside him.</p><p>“Yes, please,” Harry panted.</p><p>“Oy, Fred! C’mere and help!”</p><p>Another boy, obviously a twin brother ran over. With the twins’ help, Harry’s trunk was at last tucked away in a corner of the compartment.</p><p>“Thanks,” said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.</p><p>“What’s that?” said one of the twins suddenly, pointing at Harry’s lightning scar.</p><p>“Blimey,” said the other twin.</p><p>“Are you — ?”</p><p>“He is,” said the first twin.</p><p>“Aren’t you?” he added to Harry.</p><p>“What?” said Harry.</p><p>“Harry Potter,” chorused the twins.</p><p>“Oh, him,” said Harry. “I mean, yes, I am.”</p><p>The two boys gawked at him, and Harry felt himself turning red. Then, to his relief, a voice came floating in through the train’s open door.</p><p>“Fred? George? Are you there?”</p><p>“Coming, Mum.” With a last look at Harry, the twins hopped off the train.</p><p>Harry sighed and looked around for his parents. He spotted Sirius a little way away quite obviously flirting with a very pretty young woman who looked about Sirius’ age with long blonde hair. Harry scrunched his nose and continued to scan the crowd. He saw his parents, who were looking around and talking about people they recognized. His Uncle had apparently also noticed Sirius talking to the blonde because he was staring in their direction.</p><p>Harry was about to go join his parents when a group of red-haired individuals caught his eye. Obviously, this was the family of the twins who had helped him with his trunk. He could hear what they were saying and was curious to hear what wizards other than his parents might talk about.</p><p>The mother had just taken out her handkerchief.</p><p>“Ron, you’ve got something on your nose.”</p><p>The youngest boy, who looked Harry’s age, tried to jerk out of the way, but she grabbed him and began rubbing the end of his nose.</p><p>“Mum — geroff.” He wriggled free.</p><p>“Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie?” said one of the twins.</p><p>“Shut up,” said Ron.</p><p>“Where’s Percy?” said their mother.</p><p>“He’s coming now.”</p><p>The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed into his billowing black Hogwarts robes, and Harry noticed a shiny red-and-gold badge on his chest with the letter P on it.</p><p>“Can’t stay long, Mother,” he said. “I’m up front, the prefects have got two compartments to themselves —”</p><p>“Oh, are you a prefect, Percy?” said one of the twins, with an air of great surprise. “You should have said something, we had no idea.”</p><p>“Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it,” said the other twin. “Once —”</p><p>“Or twice —”</p><p>“A minute —”</p><p>“All summer —”</p><p>“Oh, shut up,” said Percy the Prefect.</p><p>“How come Percy gets new robes, anyway?” said one of the twins.</p><p>“Because he’s a prefect,” said their mother fondly. “All right, dear, well, have a good term — send me an owl when you get there.”</p><p>She kissed Percy on the cheek and he left. Then she turned to the twins. “Now, you two — this year, you behave yourselves. If I get one more owl telling me you’ve — you’ve blown up a toilet or —”</p><p>“Blown up a toilet? We’ve never blown up a toilet.”</p><p>“Great idea though, thanks, Mum.”</p><p>“It’s not funny. And look after Ron.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, ickle Ronniekins is safe with us.”</p><p>“Shut up,” said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.</p><p>“Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train?” Harry leaned back quickly into the carriage so they couldn’t see him looking.</p><p>“Who?”</p><p>“Harry Potter!”</p><p>Harry heard the little girl’s voice.</p><p>“Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, Mum, oh please…”</p><p>“No Ginny, the poor boy isn’t something you goggle at in a zoo. Did you really, Fred? How do you know?”</p><p>“Asked him. Saw his scar. It’s really there — like lightning.”</p><p>“Do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?”</p><p>Their mother suddenly became very stern.</p><p>“I forbid you to ask him, Fred. No, don’t you dare. As though he needs reminding of that on his first day at school.”</p><p>“All right, keep your hair on.”</p><p>A whistle sounded causing Harry to jump.</p><p>“Harry!” he heard his mother call.</p><p>“Here mum!” he called back.</p><p>“Oh goodness, I didn’t realize what time it was!” she rushed over and Sirius joined him, having parted from the blonde woman.</p><p>"Who was that you were talking to Sirius?" Harry inquired.</p><p>“Oh, just an old friend, here to see her niece off" he winked "Well, have a great year!” Sirius grinned.</p><p>“Try to make friends” Remus nodded, with a glance at Sirius.</p><p>“And be good!” Lily smiled.</p><p>“And say hello to Peeves!” James winked.</p><p>Harry laughed, unsure what a Peeves was, and kissed his mother and father goodbye. Sirius tousled his hair then they all stepped back as the train slowly began to move.  He waved to them and heard the younger sister of the red head family begin to cry.</p><p>From the other compartment, one of the twins shouted, “Don’t, Ginny, we’ll send you loads of owls.”</p><p>“We’ll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat.”</p><p>“George!”</p><p>“Only joking, Mum.”</p><p>The train picked up speed. Harry watched his family disappear as the train rounded the corner. Houses flashed past the window. Harry felt a great leap of excitement.</p><p>The door of the compartment slid open and the youngest redheaded boy came in. “Anyone sitting there?” he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. “Everywhere else is full.”</p><p>Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn’t looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.</p><p>“Hey, Ron.” The twins were back. “Listen, we’re going down the middle of the train — Lee Jordan’s got a giant tarantula down there.”</p><p>“Right,” mumbled Ron.</p><p>“Harry,” said the other twin, “did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later, then.”</p><p>“Bye,” said Harry and Ron.</p><p>The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.</p><p>“Are you really Harry Potter?” Ron blurted out.</p><p>Harry nodded.</p><p>“Oh — well, I thought it might be one of Fred and George’s jokes,” said Ron. “And have you really got — you know . . .” He pointed at Harry’s forehead.</p><p>Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar.</p><p>Ron stared. “So that’s where You-Know-Who — ?”</p><p>“Yes,” said Harry, “but I can’t remember it.”</p><p>“Nothing?” said Ron eagerly.</p><p>“Well — I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else.”</p><p>“Wow,” said Ron. He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, then, as though he had suddenly realized what he was doing, he looked quickly out of the window again.</p><p>“Are all your family wizards?” asked Harry, who found Ron just as interesting as Ron found him.</p><p>“Er — yes, I think so,” said Ron. “I think Mum’s got a second cousin who’s an accountant, but we never talk about him.”</p><p>“So you must know loads of magic already.” The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.</p><p>“I heard you went to live with Muggles,” said Ron. “What are they like?”</p><p>“Horrible — well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. Wish I’d had three wizard brothers.”</p><p>“Five,” said Ron. For some reason, he was looking gloomy. “I’m the sixth in our family to go to Hogwarts. You could say I’ve got a lot to live up to. Bill and Charlie have already left — Bill was head boy and Charlie was captain of Quidditch. Now Percy’s a prefect. Fred and George mess around a lot, but they still get really good marks and everyone thinks they’re really funny. Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it’s no big deal, because they did it first. You never get anything new, either, with five brothers. I’ve got Bill’s old robes, Charlie’s old wand, and Percy’s old rat.”</p><p>Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat gray rat, which was asleep.</p><p>“His name’s Scabbers and he’s useless, he hardly ever wakes up. Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a prefect, but they couldn’t aff — I mean, I got Scabbers instead.”</p><p>Ron’s ears went pink. He seemed to think he’d said too much because he went back to staring out of the window. Harry didn’t think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. After all, he’d never had any money in his life until a month ago, and his parents did not spoil him as his aunt and uncle did Dudley. He told Ron so and this seemed to cheer him up.</p><p>“. . . and the owl arrived, I didn’t know anything about being a wizard or Voldemort —”</p><p>Ron gasped.</p><p>“What?” said Harry.</p><p>“You said You-Know-Who’s name!” said Ron, sounding both shocked and impressed. “I’d have thought you, of all people —”</p><p>“I’m not trying to be brave or anything, saying the name, my parents use it” said Harry, “I just never knew you shouldn’t. See what I mean? I’ve got loads to learn. . . . I bet,” he added, voicing for the first time something that had been worrying him a lot lately, “I bet I’m the worst in the class.”</p><p>“You won’t be. There’s loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough.”</p><p>While they had been talking, the train had carried them out of London. Now they were speeding past fields full of cows and sheep. They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.</p><p>Around half past twelve there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, “Anything off the cart, dears?”</p><p>Harry, leapt to his feet, but Ron’s ears went pink again and he muttered that he’d brought sandwiches. Harry went out into the corridor.</p><p>He was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry — but the woman didn’t have Mars Bars. What she did have were Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, and a number of other strange things Harry had never seen in his life. Not wanting to miss anything, he got some of everything and paid the woman eleven silver Sickles and seven bronze Knuts.</p><p>Ron stared as Harry brought it all back in to the compartment and tipped it onto an empty seat.</p><p>“Hungry, are you?”</p><p>“Starving,” said Harry, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty.</p><p>Ron had taken out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, “She always forgets I don’t like corned beef.”</p><p>“Swap you for one of these,” said Harry, holding up a pasty. “Go on —”</p><p>“You don’t want this, it’s all dry,” said Ron. “She hasn’t got much time,” he added quickly, “you know, with five of us.”</p><p>“Go on, have a pasty,” said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry’s pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten).</p><p>“What are these?” Harry asked Ron, holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. “They’re not really frogs, are they?” He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him.</p><p>“No,” said Ron. “But see what the card is. I’m missing Agrippa.”</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Oh, of course, you wouldn’t know — Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect — famous witches and wizards. I’ve got about five hundred, but I haven’t got Agrippa or Ptolemy.”</p><p>Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. It showed a man’s face. He wore half-moon glasses, had a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and mustache. Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.</p><p>“So this is Dumbledore!” said Harry.</p><p>“Don’t tell me you’d never heard of Dumbledore!” said Ron. “Can I have a frog? I might get Agrippa — thanks —”</p><p>Harry turned over his card and read:</p><p>ALBUS DUMBLEDORE</p><p>CURRENTLY HEADMASTER OF HOGWARTS</p><p>Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon’s blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.</p><p>Harry turned the card back over and saw, to his astonishment, that Dumbledore’s face had disappeared.</p><p>“He’s gone!”</p><p>“Well, you can’t expect him to hang around all day,” said Ron. “He’ll be back. No, I’ve got Morgana again and I’ve got about six of her . . . do you want it? You can start collecting.”</p><p>Ron’s eyes strayed to the pile of Chocolate Frogs waiting to be unwrapped.</p><p>“Help yourself,” said Harry. “But in, you know, the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos.”</p><p>“Do they? What, they don’t move at all?” Ron sounded amazed. “Weird!”</p><p>Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. Ron was more interested in eating the frogs than looking at the Famous Witches and Wizards cards, but Harry couldn’t keep his eyes off them. Soon he had not only Dumbledore and Morgana, but Hengist of Woodcroft, Alberic Grunnion, Circe, Paracelsus, and Merlin. He finally tore his eyes away from the druidess Cliodna, who was scratching her nose, to open a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.</p><p>“You want to be careful with those,” Ron warned Harry. “When they say every flavor, they mean every flavor — you know, you get all the ordinary ones like chocolate and peppermint and marmalade, but then you can get spinach and liver and tripe. George reckons he had a booger-flavored one once.”</p><p>Ron picked up a green bean, looked at it carefully, and bit into a corner.</p><p>“Bleaaargh — see? Sprouts.”</p><p>They had a good time eating the Every Flavor Beans. Harry got toast, coconut, baked bean, strawberry, curry, grass, coffee, sardine, and was even brave enough to nibble the end off a funny gray one Ron wouldn’t touch, which turned out to be pepper.</p><p>The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. The neat fields had gone. Now there were woods, twisting rivers, and dark green hills.</p><p>There was a knock on the door of their compartment and the round-faced boy Harry had passed on platform nine and three-quarters came in. He looked tearful.</p><p>“Sorry,” he said, “but have you seen a toad at all?”</p><p>When they shook their heads, he wailed, “I’ve lost him! He keeps getting away from me!”</p><p>“He’ll turn up,” said Harry. “Yes,” said the boy miserably. “Well, if you see him…”</p><p>He left.</p><p>“Don’t know why he’s so bothered,” said Ron. “If I’d brought a toad I’d lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can’t talk.”</p><p>The rat was still snoozing on Ron’s lap.</p><p>“He might have died and you wouldn’t know the difference,” said Ron in disgust. “I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn’t work. I’ll show you, look…”</p><p>He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end.</p><p>“Unicorn hair’s nearly poking out. Anyway —” He had just raised his wand when the compartment door slid open again. The toadless boy was back, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.</p><p>“Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one,” she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, freckled brown skin, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth.</p><p>“We’ve already told him we haven’t seen it,” said Ron, but the girl wasn’t listening, she was looking at the wand in his hand.</p><p>“Oh, are you doing magic? Let’s see it, then.”</p><p>She sat down. Ron looked taken aback.</p><p>“Er — all right.”</p><p>He cleared his throat.</p><p>“Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,</p><p>Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.”</p><p>He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.</p><p>“Are you sure that’s a real spell?” said the girl. “Well, it’s not very good, is it? I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it’s all worked for me. Nobody in my family’s magic at all, but of course I was adopted so I don’t really know. It was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it’s the very best school of witchcraft there is, I’ve heard — I’ve learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough — I’m Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?”</p><p>She said all this very fast. Harry looked at Ron, and was relieved to see by his stunned face that he hadn’t learned all the course books by heart either.</p><p>“I’m Ron Weasley,” Ron muttered.</p><p>“Harry Potter,” said Harry.</p><p>“Are you really?” said Hermione. “I know all about you, of course — I got a few extra books for background reading, and you’re in <em>Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts</em> and <em>Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century</em>.”</p><p>“Am I?” said Harry, feeling dazed.</p><p>“Goodness, didn’t you know, I’d have found out everything I could if it was me,” said Hermione. “Do either of you know what House you’ll be in? I’ve been asking around, and I hope I’m in Gryffindor, it sounds by far the best; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn’t be too bad… Anyway, we’d better go and look for Neville’s toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we’ll be there soon.”</p><p>And she left, taking the toadless boy with her.</p><p>“Whatever House I’m in, I hope she’s not in it,” said Ron. He threw his wand back into his trunk. “Stupid spell — George gave it to me, bet he knew it was a dud.”</p><p>“What House are your brothers in?” asked Harry.</p><p>“Gryffindor,” said Ron. Gloom seemed to be settling on him again. “Mum and Dad were in it, too. I don’t know what they’ll say if I’m not. I don’t suppose Ravenclaw would be too bad, but imagine if they put me in Slytherin.”</p><p>“That’s the House Vol-, I mean, You-Know-Who was in?”</p><p>“Yeah,” said Ron. He flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.</p><p>“You know, I think the ends of Scabbers’ whiskers are a bit lighter,” said Harry, trying to take Ron’s mind off Houses. “So what do your oldest brothers do now that they’ve left, anyway?”</p><p>Harry was wondering what a wizard did once he’d finished school.</p><p>“Charlie’s in Romania studying dragons, and Bill’s in Africa doing something for Gringotts,” said Ron. “Did you hear about Gringotts? It’s been all over the Daily Prophet — someone tried to rob a high security vault.”</p><p>Harry stared. “Really? What happened to them?”</p><p>“Nothing, that’s why it’s such big news. They haven’t been caught. My dad says it must’ve been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts, but they don’t think they took anything, that’s what’s odd. ’Course, everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who’s behind it.”</p><p>Harry turned this news over in his mind. He was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. He supposed this was all part of entering the magical world, but it had been a lot more comfortable saying “Voldemort” without worrying.</p><p>“What’s your Quidditch team?” Ron asked.</p><p>“Er — I don’t know any,” Harry confessed.</p><p>“What!” Ron looked dumbfounded. “Oh, you wait, it’s the best game in the world —” And he was off, explaining all about the four balls and the positions of the seven players, describing famous games he’d been to with his brothers and the broomstick he’d like to get if he had the money. He was just taking Harry through the finer points of the game when the compartment door slid open yet again, but it wasn’t Neville the toadless boy, or Hermione Granger this time.</p><p>Three boys entered, and Harry recognized the middle one at once: It was the pale boy from Madam Malkin’s robe shop. He was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he’d shown back in Diagon Alley.</p><p>“Is it true?” he said. “They’re saying all down the train that Harry Potter’s in this compartment. So it’s you, is it?”</p><p>“Yes,” said Harry. He was looking at the other boys. Both of them were thickset and looked extremely mean. Standing on either side of the pale boy, they looked like bodyguards.</p><p>“Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle,” said the pale boy carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. “And my name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.”</p><p>Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco Malfoy looked at him.</p><p>“Think my name’s funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford.”</p><p>He turned back to Harry. “You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. You don’t want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.”</p><p>He held out his hand to shake Harry’s, but Harry didn’t take it.</p><p>“I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks,” he said coolly.</p><p>Draco Malfoy didn’t go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks. “I’d be careful if I were you, Potter,” he said slowly. “If you hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it’ll rub off on you.”</p><p>Both Harry and Ron stood up.</p><p>“Say that again,” Ron said, his face as red as his hair.</p><p>“Oh, you’re going to fight us, are you?” Malfoy sneered.</p><p>“Unless you get out now,” said Harry, more bravely than he felt, because Crabbe and Goyle were a lot bigger than him or Ron.</p><p>“But we don’t feel like leaving, do we, boys? We’ve eaten all our food and you still seem to have some.”</p><p>Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron — Ron leapt forward, but before he’d so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell.</p><p>Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle’s knuckle — Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. Perhaps they thought there were more rats lurking among the sweets, or perhaps they’d heard footsteps, because a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.</p><p>“What has been going on?” she said, looking at the sweets all over the floor and Ron picking up Scabbers by his tail.</p><p>“I think he’s been knocked out,” Ron said to Harry. He looked closer at Scabbers. “No — I don’t believe it — he’s gone back to sleep.”</p><p>And so he had.</p><p>“You’ve met Malfoy before?”</p><p>Harry explained about their meeting in Diagon Alley.</p><p>“I’ve heard of his family,” said Ron darkly. “They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they’d been bewitched. My dad doesn’t believe it. He says Malfoy’s father didn’t need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side.” He turned to Hermione. “Can we help you with something?”</p><p>“You’d better hurry up and put your robes on, I’ve just been up to the front to ask the conductor, and he says we’re nearly there. You haven’t been fighting, have you? You’ll be in trouble before we even get there!”</p><p>“Scabbers has been fighting, not us,” said Ron, scowling at her. “Would you mind leaving while we change?”</p><p>“All right — I only came in here because people outside are behaving very childishly, racing up and down the corridors,” said Hermione in a sniffy voice. “And you’ve got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?”</p><p>Ron glared at her as she left. Harry peered out of the window. It was getting dark. He could see mountains and forests under a deep purple sky. The train did seem to be slowing down.</p><p>He and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. Ron’s were a bit short for him, you could see his sneakers underneath them.</p><p>A voice echoed through the train: “We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes’ time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately.”</p><p>Harry’s stomach lurched with nerves and Ron, he saw, looked pale under his freckles. They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.</p><p>The train slowed right down and finally stopped. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. Harry shivered in the cold night air. Then a lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students, and Harry heard a familiar voice: “Firs’ years! Firs’ years over here! All right there, Harry?”</p><p>Hagrid’s big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. Harry took a deep breath and walked toward Hagrid, sticking close to Ron.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. The Sorting Hat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After a magical journey to Hogwarts, all the nerves of the sorting hit Harry. Will he have to wrestle a troll?! Will he have to perform a spell?! What if this has all turned out to be a big mistake?! All of his questions are answered as they enter the Great Hall for the first time.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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      <strong>***I have made only a couple of changes to this chapter, it is mostly straight from the book***</strong>
    </em>
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</p><p>Slipping and stumbling, they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. It was so dark on either side of them that Harry thought there must be thick trees there. Nobody spoke much. Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.</p><p>“Yeh’ll get yer firs’ sight o’ Hogwarts in a sec,” Hagrid called over his shoulder, “jus’ round this bend here.”</p><p>There was a loud “Oooooh!”</p><p>The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.</p><p>“No more’n four to a boat!” Hagrid called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Harry and Ron were followed into their boat by Neville and Hermione.</p><p>“Everyone in?” shouted Hagrid, who had a boat to himself. “Right then — FORWARD!”</p><p>And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. It towered over them as they sailed nearer and nearer to the cliff on which it stood.</p><p>“Heads down!” yelled Hagrid as the first boats reached the cliff; they all bent their heads and the little boats carried them through a curtain of ivy that hid a wide opening in the cliff face. They were carried along a dark tunnel, which seemed to be taking them right underneath the castle, until they reached a kind of underground harbor, where they clambered out onto rocks and pebbles.</p><p>“Oy, you there! Is this your toad?” said Hagrid, who was checking the boats as people climbed out of them.</p><p>“Trevor!” cried Neville blissfully, holding out his hands. Then they clambered up a passageway in the rock after Hagrid’s lamp, coming out at last onto smooth, damp grass right in the shadow of the castle.</p><p>They walked up a flight of stone steps and crowded around the huge, oak front door.</p><p>“Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?”</p><p>Hagrid raised a gigantic fist and knocked three times on the castle door and it r swung open at once.</p><p>A tall, black-haired witch in emerald green robes stood there. She had a very stern face and Harry’s first thought was that this was not someone to cross.</p><p>“The firs’ years, Professor McGonagall,” said Hagrid.</p><p>“Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.”</p><p>She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of the Harry’ house in it. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches like the ones at Gringotts, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.</p><p>They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. Harry could hear the drone of hundreds of voices from a doorway to the right — the rest of the school must already be here — but Professor McGonagall showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, standing rather closer together than they would usually have done, peering about nervously.</p><p>“Welcome to Hogwarts,” said Professor McGonagall. “The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your House will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your House, sleep in your House dormitory, and spend free time in your House common room.” she paused when Neville leapt forward in attempt to catch Trevor as the toad leapt toward her.</p><p>With a squeaked apology from Neville, she continued, “The four Houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each House has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your House points, while any rule-breaking will lose House points. At the end of the year, the House with the most points is awarded the House Cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever House becomes yours.”</p><p>Harry and Ron exchanged nervous looks.</p><p>“The Sorting Ceremony,” Professor McGonagall went on, “will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.”</p><p>Her eyes lingered for a moment on Neville’s cloak, which was fastened under his left ear, and on Ron’s smudged nose. Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.</p><p>“I shall return when we are ready for you,” said Professor McGonagall. “Please wait quietly.”</p><p>She left the chamber. Harry swallowed.</p><p>“How exactly do they sort us into Houses?” he asked Ron.</p><p>“Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking.”</p><p>Harry’s heart gave a horrible jolt. A test? In front of the whole school? But he didn’t know any magic yet — what on earth would he have to do? He hadn’t expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified, too. No one was talking much except Hermione Granger, who was whispering very fast about all the spells she’d learned and wondering which one she’d need. Harry tried hard not to listen to her. He’d never been more nervous, never, not even when he’d had to take a school report home to his parents saying that he’d somehow turned his teacher’s wig blue. This brought a small smile to his face, now understanding why his father had laughed so hard. However, he kept his eyes fixed nervously on the door.</p><p>Any second now, Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom. He tried hard not to imagine what would happen if he had to return home because he could not pass the sorting test.</p><p>Then something happened that made him jump about a foot in the air — several people behind him screamed.</p><p>“What the—?”</p><p>He gasped. So did the people around him. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: “Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance —”</p><p>“My dear Friar, haven’t we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he’s not really even a ghost — I say, what are you all doing here?”</p><p>A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.</p><p>Nobody answered.</p><p>“New students!” exclaimed the Fat Friar, smiling around at them. “About to be Sorted, I suppose?”</p><p>A few people nodded mutely.</p><p>“Oh I do hope to see you in Hufflepuff!” said the Friar. “My old House, you know.”</p><p>“Move along now,” said a sharp voice. “The Sorting Ceremony’s about to start.”</p><p>Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.</p><p>“Now, form a line,” Professor McGonagall told the first years, “and follow me.”</p><p>Feeling oddly as though his legs had turned to lead, Harry got into line behind a boy with sandy hair, with Ron behind him, and they walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.</p><p>Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. It was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. The hundreds of faces staring at them looked like pale lanterns in the flickering candlelight. Dotted here and there among the students, the ghosts shone misty silver. Mainly to avoid all the staring eyes, Harry looked upward and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars. He heard Hermione whisper, “It’s bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in <em>Hogwarts: A History</em>.”</p><p>It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn’t simply open on to the heavens.</p><p>Harry quickly looked down again as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard’s hat. This hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Aunt Petunia wouldn’t have let it in the house.</p><p><em>Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it</em>, Harry thought wildly, that seemed the sort of thing — noticing that everyone in the hall was now staring at the hat, he stared at it, too. For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth — and the hat began to sing:</p><p>“Oh, you may not think I’m pretty,</p><p>But don’t judge on what you see,</p><p>I’ll eat myself if you can find</p><p>A smarter hat than me.</p><p>You can keep your bowlers black,</p><p>Your top hats sleek and tall,</p><p>For I’m the Hogwarts Sorting Hat</p><p>And I can cap them all.</p><p>There’s nothing hidden in your head</p><p>The Sorting Hat can’t see,</p><p>So try me on and I will tell you</p><p>Where you ought to be.</p><p>You might belong in Gryffindor,</p><p>Where dwell the brave at heart,</p><p>Their daring, nerve, and chivalry</p><p>Set Gryffindors apart;</p><p>You might belong in Hufflepuff,</p><p>Where they are just and loyal,</p><p>Those patient Hufflepuffs are true</p><p>And unafraid of toil;</p><p>Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,</p><p>If you’ve a ready mind,</p><p>Where those of wit and learning,</p><p>Will always find their kind;</p><p>Or perhaps in Slytherin</p><p>You’ll make your real friends,</p><p>This ambitious lot of leaders</p><p>Always achieve their ends.</p><p>So put me on! Don’t be afraid!</p><p>And don’t get in a flap!</p><p>You’re in safe hands (though I have none)</p><p>For I’m a Thinking Cap!”</p><p>The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.</p><p>“So we’ve just got to try on the hat!” Ron whispered to Harry. “I’ll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll.”</p><p>Harry smiled weakly. Yes, trying on the hat was a lot better than having to do a spell, but he did wish they could have tried it on without everyone watching. The hat seemed to be asking rather a lot; Harry didn’t feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a House for people who felt a bit queasy, that would have been the one for him.</p><p>Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.</p><p>“When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,” she said. “Abbott, Hannah!”</p><p>A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moment’s pause —</p><p>“HUFFLEPUFF!” shouted the hat.</p><p>The table on the right cheered and clapped as Hannah went to sit down at the Hufflepuff table. Harry saw the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her.</p><p>“Bones, Susan!”</p><p>“HUFFLEPUFF!” shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.</p><p>“Boot, Terry!” “RAVENCLAW!” The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.</p><p>“Brocklehurst, Mandy” went to Ravenclaw too, but “Brown, Lavender” became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers; Harry could see Ron’s twin brothers catcalling.</p><p>“Bulstrode, Millicent” then became a Slytherin.</p><p>He was starting to feel definitely sick now. He remembered being picked for teams during gym at his old school. He had always been last to be chosen, not because he was no good, but because no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.</p><p>“Finch-Fletchley, Justin!”</p><p>“HUFFLEPUFF!”</p><p>Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the House at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. “Finnigan, Seamus,” the sandy-haired boy next to Harry in the line, sat on the stool for almost a whole minute before the hat declared him a Gryffindor.</p><p>“Granger, Hermione!” Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.</p><p>“GRYFFINDOR!” shouted the hat. Ron groaned.</p><p>Harry stomach lurched again. What if he wasn’t chosen at all? What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake and he’d better get back on the train?</p><p>When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, “GRYFFINDOR,” Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to “MacDougal, Morag.”</p><p>Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: the hat had barely touched his head when it screamed, “SLYTHERIN!”</p><p>Malfoy went to join his friends Crabbe and Goyle, looking pleased with himself.</p><p>There weren’t many people left now. “Moon” . . . , “Nott” . . . , “Parkinson” . . . , then a pair of twin girls, “Patil” and “Patil” . . . , then “Perks, Sally-Anne” . . . , and then, at last —</p><p>“Potter, Harry!”</p><p>As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.</p><p>“Potter, did she say?”</p><p>“<em>The</em> Harry Potter?”</p><p>The last thing Harry saw before the hat dropped over his eyes was the hall full of people craning to get a good look at him. Next second he was looking at the black inside of the hat. He waited.</p><p>“Hmm,” said a small voice in his ear. “Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There’s talent, oh my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that’s interesting. . . . So where shall I put you?”</p><p>Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, <em>Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.</em></p><p>“Not Slytherin, eh?” said the small voice. “Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — no? Well, if you’re sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!”</p><p>Harry heard the hat shout the last word to the whole hall. He took off the hat and walked shakily toward the Gryffindor table. He was so relieved to have been chosen and not put in Slytherin, he hardly noticed that he was getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, “We got Potter! We got Potter!” Harry sat down opposite the ghost in the ruff he’d seen earlier. The ghost patted his arm, giving Harry the sudden, horrible feeling he’d just plunged it into a bucket of ice-cold water.</p><p>He could see the High Table properly now. At the end nearest him sat Hagrid, who caught his eye and gave him the thumbs up. Harry grinned back. And there, in the center of the High Table, in a large gold chair, sat Albus Dumbledore. Harry recognized him at once from the card he’d gotten out of the Chocolate Frog on the train. Dumbledore’s silver hair was the only thing in the whole hall that shone as brightly as the ghosts. Harry spotted Professor Quirrell, too, the nervous young man from the Leaky Cauldron. He was looking very peculiar in a large purple turban.</p><p>And now there were only four people left to be sorted. “Thomas, Dean,” a black boy even taller than Ron, joined Harry at the Gryffindor table. “Turpin, Lisa,” became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron’s turn. He was pale green by now. Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, “GRYFFINDOR!”</p><p>Harry clapped loudly with the rest as Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.</p><p>“Well done, Ron, excellent,” said Percy Weasley pompously across Harry as “Zabini, Blaise,” was made a Slytherin. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.</p><p>Harry looked down at his empty gold plate. He had only just realized how hungry he was. The pumpkin pasties seemed ages ago.</p><p>Albus Dumbledore had gotten to his feet. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there. “Welcome!” he said. “Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!</p><p>“Thank you!” He sat back down. Everybody clapped and cheered. Harry didn’t know whether to laugh or not.</p><p>“Is he — a bit mad?” he asked Percy uncertainly.</p><p>“Mad?” said Percy airily. “He’s a genius! Best wizard in the world! But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?”</p><p>Harry’s mouth fell open. The dishes in front of him were now piled with food. He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table: roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs.</p><p>Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the peppermints and began to eat. It was all delicious.</p><p>“That does look good,” said the ghost in the ruff sadly, watching Harry cut up his steak.</p><p>“Can’t you — ?”</p><p>“I haven’t eaten for nearly five hundred years,” said the ghost. “I don’t need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don’t think I’ve introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower.”</p><p>“I know who you are!” said Ron suddenly.</p><p>“My brothers told me about you — you’re Nearly Headless Nick!”</p><p>“I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy —” the ghost began stiffly, but sandy-haired Seamus Finnigan interrupted.</p><p>“Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?”</p><p>Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn’t going at all the way he wanted.</p><p>“Like this,” he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. His whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on their faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, “So — new Gryffindors! I hope you’re going to help us win the House Championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the Cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron’s becoming almost unbearable — he’s the Slytherin ghost.”</p><p>Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. He was right next to Malfoy who, Harry was pleased to see, didn’t look too pleased with the seating arrangements.</p><p>“How did he get covered in blood?” asked Seamus with great interest.</p><p>“I’ve never asked,” said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.</p><p>When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate éclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding . . .</p><p>As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.</p><p>“I’m half-and-half,” said Seamus. “Me dad’s a Muggle. Mum didn’t tell him she was a witch ’til after they were married. Bit of a nasty shock for him.”</p><p>The others laughed.</p><p>“What about you, Neville?” said Ron.</p><p>“Well, my gran brought me up and she’s a witch,” said Neville, “but the family thought I was all-Muggle for ages. My Great Uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me — he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned — but nothing happened until I was eight. Great Uncle Algie came round for dinner, and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my Great Auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced — all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased, Gran was crying, she was so happy. And you should have seen their faces when I got in here — they thought I might not be magic enough to come, you see. Great Uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad.”</p><p>On Harry’s other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons (“I do hope they start right away, there’s so much to learn, I’m particularly interested in Transfiguration, you know, turning something into something else, of course, it’s supposed to be very difficult —”; “You’ll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing —”).</p><p>Harry, who was starting to feel warm and sleepy, looked up at the High Table again. Hagrid was drinking deeply from his goblet. Professor McGonagall was talking to Professor Dumbledore. Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin.</p><p>It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell’s turban straight into Harry’s eyes — and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry’s forehead.</p><p>“Ouch!” Harry clapped a hand to his head.</p><p>“What is it?” asked Percy.</p><p>“N-nothing.”</p><p>The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher’s look — a feeling that he didn’t like Harry at all.</p><p>“Who’s that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?” he asked Percy.</p><p>“Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he’s looking so nervous, that’s Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn’t want to — everyone knows he’s after Quirrell’s job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape.”</p><p>Harry watched Snape for a while, but Snape didn’t look at him again.</p><p>At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.</p><p>“Ahem — just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.</p><p>“First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well.”</p><p>Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.</p><p>“I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.</p><p>“Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their House teams should contact Madam Hooch.</p><p>“And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.”</p><p>Harry laughed, but he was one of the few who did.</p><p>“He’s not serious?” he muttered to Percy.</p><p>“Must be,” said Percy, frowning at Dumbledore. “It’s odd, because he usually gives us a reason why we’re not allowed to go somewhere — the forest’s full of dangerous beasts, everyone knows that. I do think he might have told us prefects, at least.”</p><p>“And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!” cried Dumbledore. Harry noticed that the other teachers’ smiles had become rather fixed.</p><p>Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick, as if he was trying to get a fly off the end, and a long golden ribbon flew out of it, which rose high above the tables and twisted itself, snakelike, into words.</p><p>“Everyone pick their favorite tune,” said Dumbledore, “and off we go!”</p><p>And the school bellowed:</p><p>“Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,</p><p>Teach us something please,</p><p>Whether we be old and bald</p><p>Or young with scabby knees,</p><p>Our heads could do with filling</p><p>With some interesting stuff,</p><p>For now they’re bare and full of air,</p><p>Dead flies and bits of fluff,</p><p>So teach us things worth knowing,</p><p>Bring back what we’ve forgot,</p><p>Just do your best, we’ll do the rest,</p><p>And learn until our brains all rot.”</p><p>Everybody finished the song at different times. At last, only the Weasley twins were left singing along to a very slow funeral march. Dumbledore conducted their last few lines with his wand and when they had finished, he was one of those who clapped loudest.</p><p>“Ah, music,” he said, wiping his eyes. “A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. Off you trot!”</p><p>The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. Harry’s legs were like lead again, but only because he was so tired and full of food. He was too sleepy even to be surprised that the people in the portraits along the corridors whispered and pointed as they passed, or that twice Percy led them through doorways hidden behind sliding panels and hanging tapestries. They climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging their feet, and Harry was just wondering how much farther they had to go when they came to a sudden halt.</p><p>A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.</p><p>“Peeves,” Percy whispered to the first years. “A poltergeist.” He raised his voice, “Peeves — show yourself.”</p><p>A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.</p><p>“Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?”</p><p>There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks. So, this was who his father had meant.</p><p>“Oooooooh!” he said, with an evil cackle. “Ickle Firsties! What fun!”</p><p>He swooped suddenly at them. They all ducked.</p><p>“Go away, Peeves, or the Baron’ll hear about this, I mean it!” barked Percy.</p><p>Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville’s head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.</p><p>“You want to watch out for Peeves,” said Percy, as they set off again. “The Bloody Baron’s the only one who can control him, he won’t even listen to us prefects. Here we are.”</p><p>At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.</p><p>“Password?” she said.</p><p>“Caput Draconis,” said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it — Neville needed a leg up — and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.</p><p>Percy directed the girls through one door to their dormitory and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase — they were obviously in one of the towers — they found their beds at last: five four-posters hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Their trunks had already been brought up. Too tired to talk much, they pulled on their pajamas and fell into bed.</p><p>“Great food, isn’t it?” Ron muttered to Harry through the hangings. “Get off, Scabbers! He’s chewing my sheets.”</p><p>Harry was going to ask Ron if he’d had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.</p><p>Perhaps Harry had eaten a bit too much, because he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell’s turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once, because it was his destiny. Harry told the turban he didn’t want to be in Slytherin; it got heavier and heavier; he tried to pull it off but it tightened painfully — and there was Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with it — then Malfoy turned into the hook-nosed teacher, Snape, whose laugh became high and cold — there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.</p><p>He rolled over and fell asleep again, and when he woke next day, he didn’t remember the dream at all.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. The Potions Master</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Whispers and gossip about the infamous Harry Potter coming to Hogwarts continue to greet Harry on his first day of classes. And if that isn't bad enough the potions master seems to have it out for him. Does his mother know something about this? Does Hagrid? Someone is keeping something from him and he's determined to find out what.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I include large sections taken from the original Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, but have changed and added bits. I do not own any rights to the series and have included the citation below to avoid plagiarism claims. Enjoy!<br/>Rowling, J. K.. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. Bloomsbury Children's Books, 1997.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“There, look.”</p><p>“Where?”</p><p>“Next to the tall kid with the red hair.”</p><p>“Wearing the glasses?”</p><p>“Did you see his face?”</p><p>“Did you see his scar?”</p><p>Harry knew now exactly what his parents had meant when they told him why they decided to raise him away from all this. When they first told him that everyone would know his name, he didn’t believe them. Now he wished more than anything he was just a nobody. He kept self-consciously flattening his hair in attempt to cover his scar with the hopes he could just blend in.</p><p>However, whispers followed him from the moment he left his dormitory the next day. People lining up outside classrooms stood on tiptoe to get a look at him or doubled back to pass him in the corridors again, staring. Harry wished they wouldn’t, because he was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.</p><p>There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn’t open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren’t really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and Harry was sure the coats of armor could walk.</p><p>The ghosts didn’t help, either. It was always a nasty shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop wastepaper baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, grab your nose, and screech, “GOT YOUR CONK!”</p><p>Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn’t believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.</p><p>Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris, a scrawny, dust-colored creature with bulging, lamp like eyes just like Filch’s. She patrolled the corridors alone. Break a rule in front of her, put just one toe out of line, and she’d whisk off for Filch, who’d appear, wheezing, two seconds later. Filch knew the secret passageways of the school better than anyone (except perhaps the Weasley twins) and could pop up as suddenly as any of the ghosts. The students all hated him, and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.</p><p>And then, once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. There was a lot more to magic, as Harry quickly found out, than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.</p><p>They had to study the night skies through their telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout, where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.</p><p>Easily the most boring class was History of Magic, which was the only one taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been very old indeed when he had fallen asleep in front of the staffroom fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates, and got Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.</p><p>Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of their first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry’s name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.</p><p>Professor McGonagall was again different. Harry had been quite right to think she wasn’t a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave them a talkingto the moment they sat down in her first class.</p><p>“Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts,” she said. “Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned.”</p><p>Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. They were all very impressed and couldn’t wait to get started, but soon realized they weren’t going to be changing the furniture into animals for a long time. After taking a lot of complicated notes, they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed the class how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave Hermione a rare smile.</p><p>The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell’s lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he’d met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but they weren’t sure they believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan asked eagerly to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, they had noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.</p><p>Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn’t miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like him, hadn’t had any idea that they were witches and wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn’t have much of a head start.</p><p>Friday was an important day for Harry and Ron. They finally managed to find their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast without getting lost once.</p><p>“What have we got today?” Harry asked Ron as he poured sugar on his porridge.</p><p>“Double Potions with the Slytherins,” said Ron. “Snape’s Head of Slytherin House. They say he always favors them — we’ll be able to see if it’s true.”</p><p>“Wish McGonagall favored us,” said Harry. Professor McGonagall was head of Gryffindor House, but it hadn’t stopped her from giving them a huge pile of homework the day before.</p><p>Just then, the mail arrived. Harry had gotten used to this by now, but it had given him a bit of a shock on the first morning, when about a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, circling the tables until they saw their owners, and dropping letters and packages onto their laps.</p><p>Hedwig had brought Harry something every day so far. Notes from his parents, from his godfather, and even one from Uncle Remus. They’d all mostly been “congratulations on making Gryffindor!” “how are you?” “how is school?” and “have you blown anything up yet?” This morning, however, she fluttered down between the marmalade and the sugar bowl and dropped an envelope and a folded note onto Harry’s plate. He recognized his mother’s neat handwriting on the envelope, so he placed that to the side and opened the note first. It said, in a very untidy scrawl:</p><p>
  <em>Dear Harry, </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know you get Friday afternoons off, so would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? I want to hear all about your first week. Send us an answer back with Hedwig. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hagrid </em>
</p><p>Harry borrowed Ron’s quill, scribbled <em>Yes, please, see you later</em> on the back of the note, and sent Hedwig off again. He then open the letter from his mother.</p><p>
  <em>Dear Harry,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your father is still in absolute ecstasy that you made it into Gryffindor. That was both of our house after all. I believe I may have made his ecstatic trance even worse by telling him what I have been wanting to tell the both of you for a while now. I did hope to tell you in person but the next time we see you I’m sure it will be a much harder secret to conceal.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sweetheart, you are going to be an older brother! </em>
</p><p>          Harry stopped on these words and read them over and over again. His stomach doing another somersault each time. He simply didn’t know what to feel. Part of him had always wanted a younger brother but he figured he should’ve had one by now. He was eleven after all. Finally he peeled his eyes off the sentence and continued to read the letter.</p><p>
  <em>I am sure this is as much a shock to you at was to your father, and even to me. Your father and I have talked about having another kid, but well lets say it was hard. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Oh, how I wish I could see your face right now. I do hope you’re excited. We love you so much Harry. I hope school is going well, say hello to Professor McGonagall for me will you?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Much love,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>          Mom</em>
</p><p>
  <em>P.S. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>You mentioned Professor Snape in your last letter. Write me immediately if he says anything that makes you uncomfortable.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Take care,</em>
</p><p><em>          Mom. </em> </p><p>Harry delicately folded the letter and pocketed it. A smile slowly stretched across his face as he realized just how excited the prospect of being an older brother made him. It was lucky he had this excitement and tea with Hagrid to look forward to, because the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.</p><p>At the start-of-term banquet, Harry had gotten the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. By the end of the first Potions lesson, he knew he’d been wrong. Snape didn’t dislike Harry — he <em>hated</em> him.</p><p>Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. It was colder here than up in the main castle, and would have been quite creepy enough without the pickled animals floating in glass jars all around the walls.</p><p>Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry’s name.</p><p>“Ah, yes,” he said softly, “Harry Potter. Our new — <em>celebrity</em>.”</p><p>Draco Malfoy and his friends Crabbe and Goyle sniggered behind their hands. Snape finished calling the names and looked up at the class. His eyes were black like Hagrid’s, but they had none of Hagrid’s warmth. They were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.</p><p>“You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making,” he began. He spoke in barely more than a whisper, but they caught every word — like Professor McGonagall, Snape had the gift of keeping a class silent without effort. “As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don’t expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses. . . . I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death — if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.”</p><p>More silence followed this little speech. Harry and Ron exchanged looks with raised eyebrows. Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn’t a dunderhead.</p><p>“Potter!” said Snape suddenly. “What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?”</p><p><em>Powdered root of what to an infusion of what?</em> Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione’s hand had shot into the air.</p><p>“I don’t know, sir,” said Harry.</p><p>Snape’s lips curled into a sneer.</p><p>“Tut, tut — fame clearly isn’t everything.”</p><p>He ignored Hermione’s hand.</p><p>“Let’s try again. Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?”</p><p>Hermione stretched her hand as high into the air as it would go without her leaving her seat, but Harry didn’t have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. He tried not to look at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, who were shaking with laughter.</p><p>“I don’t know, sir.”</p><p>“Thought you wouldn’t open a book before coming, eh, Potter?”</p><p>Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. He had looked through his books at home, but did Snape expect him to remember everything in <em>One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi</em>?</p><p>Snape was still ignoring Hermione’s quivering hand.</p><p>“What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?”</p><p>At this, Hermione stood up, her hand stretching toward the dungeon ceiling.</p><p>“I don’t know,” said Harry quietly. “I think Hermione does, though, why don’t you try her?”</p><p>A few people laughed; Harry caught Seamus’s eye, and Seamus winked. Snape, however, was not pleased.</p><p>“Sit down,” he snapped at Hermione. “For your information, Potter, asphodel and wormwood make a sleeping potion so powerful it is known as the Draught of Living Death. A bezoar is a stone taken from the stomach of a goat and it will save you from most poisons. As for monkshood and wolfsbane, they are the same plant, which also goes by the name of aconite. Well? Why aren’t you all copying that down?”</p><p>There was a sudden rummaging for quills and parchment. Over the noise, Snape said, “And a point will be taken from Gryffindor House for your cheek, Potter.”</p><p>Things didn’t improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. Snape put them all into pairs and set them to mixing up a simple potion to cure boils. He swept around in his long black cloak, watching them weigh dried nettles and crush snake fangs, criticizing almost everyone except Malfoy, whom he seemed to like. He was just telling everyone to look at the perfect way Malfoy had stewed his horned slugs when clouds of acid green smoke and a loud hissing filled the dungeon. Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus’s cauldron into a twisted blob, and their potion was seeping across the stone floor, burning holes in people’s shoes. Within seconds, the whole class was standing on their stools while Neville, who had been drenched in the potion when the cauldron collapsed, moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.</p><p>“Idiot boy!” snarled Snape, clearing the spilled potion away with one wave of his wand. “I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?”</p><p>Neville whimpered as boils started to pop up all over his nose.</p><p>“Take him up to the hospital wing,” Snape spat at Seamus. Then he rounded on Harry and Ron, who had been working next to Neville.</p><p>“You — Potter — why didn’t you tell him not to add the quills? Thought he’d make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That’s another point you’ve lost for Gryffindor.”</p><p>This was so unfair that Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him behind their cauldron.</p><p>“Don’t push it,” he muttered, “I’ve heard Snape can turn very nasty.”</p><p>As they climbed the steps out of the dungeon an hour later, Harry’s mind was racing and his spirits were low. He’d lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week — why did Snape hate him so much? His mother seemed to have suspected something, so he decided he would send her a letter after tea with Hagrid.</p><p>“Cheer up,” said Ron, “Snape’s always taking points off Fred and George. Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?”</p><p>At five to three they left the castle and made their way across the grounds. Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the forbidden forest. A crossbow and a pair of galoshes were outside the front door.</p><p>When Harry knocked they heard a frantic scrabbling from inside and several booming barks. Then Hagrid’s voice rang out, saying, “Back, Fang — back.”</p><p>Hagrid’s big, hairy face appeared in the crack as he pulled the door open.</p><p>“Hang on,” he said. “Back, Fang.”</p><p>He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.</p><p>There was only one room inside. Hams and pheasants were hanging from the ceiling, a copper kettle was boiling on the open fire, and in the corner stood a massive bed with a patchwork quilt over it.</p><p>“Make yerselves at home,” said Hagrid, letting go of Fang, who bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. Like Hagrid, Fang was clearly not as fierce as he looked.</p><p>“This is Ron,” Harry told Hagrid, who was pouring boiling water into a large teapot and putting rock cakes onto a plate.</p><p>“Another Weasley, eh?” said Hagrid, glancing at Ron’s freckles. “I spent half me life chasin’ yer twin brothers away from the forest.”</p><p>The rock cakes were shapeless lumps with raisins that almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them as they told Hagrid all about their first lessons. Fang rested his head on Harry’s knee and drooled all over his robes.</p><p>Harry and Ron were delighted to hear Hagrid call Filch “that old git.”</p><p>“An’ as fer that cat, Mrs. Norris, I’d like ter introduce her to Fang sometime. D’yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, she follows me everywhere? Can’t get rid of her — Filch puts her up to it.”</p><p>Harry told Hagrid about Snape’s lesson. Hagrid, like Ron, told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.</p><p>“But he seemed to really <em>hate</em> me.”</p><p>“Rubbish!” said Hagrid. “Why should he?”</p><p>Yet Harry couldn’t help thinking that Hagrid didn’t quite meet his eyes when he said that.</p><p>“How’s yer brother Charlie?” Hagrid asked Ron. “I liked him a lot — great with animals.”</p><p>Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. While Ron told Hagrid all about Charlie’s work with dragons, Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cozy. It was a cutting from the <em>Daily Prophet</em>:</p><p>GRINGOTTS BREAK-IN LATEST</p><p>
  <em>Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“But we’re not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what’s good for you,” said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.</em>
</p><p>Harry remembered Ron telling him on the train that someone had tried to rob Gringotts, but Ron hadn’t mentioned the date.</p><p>“Hagrid!” said Harry, “that Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might’ve been happening while we were there!”</p><p>There was no doubt about it, Hagrid definitely didn’t meet Harry’s eyes this time. He grunted and offered him another rock cake. Harry read the story again. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied earlier that same day. Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, if you could call it emptying, taking out that grubby little package. Had that been what the thieves were looking for?</p><p>As Harry and Ron walked back to the castle for dinner, their pockets weighed down with rock cakes they’d been too polite to refuse, Harry thought that none of the lessons he’d had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? Where was it now? And did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn’t want to tell Harry?</p>
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